Jaishankar meets Georgian FM Botchorishvili at Raisina Middle East in Abu Dhabi
Synopsis
On the sidelines of Raisina Middle East in Abu Dhabi, EAM Jaishankar and Georgian FM Botchorishvili reaffirmed a shared push to expand India-Georgia ties in trade, tourism, education, and connectivity — a quiet but telling moment as India uses multilateral forums to deepen bilateral relationships well beyond its immediate neighbourhood.
Key Takeaways
Jaishankar met Georgian FM Maka Botchorishvili on 15 October at the Raisina Middle East conference in Abu Dhabi .
Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in business, connectivity, culture, and people-to-people domains.
India-Georgia ties in trade, tourism, and education have been expanding ahead of the meeting.
Jaishankar also held talks with UAE FM Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan under the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership .
The second edition of Raisina Middle East was hosted by ORF in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and India's MEA , running 14–15 October .
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on the sidelines of the Raisina Middle East conference in Abu Dhabi on 15 October 2026, with both sides agreeing to deepen bilateral cooperation across business, connectivity, culture, and people-to-people ties. The meeting underscored India's growing engagement with Georgia at a multilateral diplomatic forum.
What Was Discussed
The two ministers reviewed the expanding scope of India-Georgia relations, particularly in trade, tourism, and education, sectors where bilateral activity has been on an upswing in recent years. They also exchanged views on current regional developments, though specific issues were not detailed publicly.
Jaishankar described the talks as productive, saying the two sides 'discussed further deepening cooperation in business, connectivity, culture and people-to-people domains,' in a post on X following the meeting.
What Both Ministers Said
Georgian Foreign Minister Botchorishvili also posted on X, stating: 'Pleased to meet India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at Raisina Middle East in Abu Dhabi. Reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening political dialogue, expanding economic ties, and deepening cooperation in tourism, education, culture & other areas of mutual interest.'
Both ministers reaffirmed their governments' commitment to strengthening political dialogue and broadening economic ties — a signal that India-Georgia engagement is moving beyond its traditionally modest footprint toward a more structured bilateral framework.
The Raisina Middle East Context
The meeting took place at the second edition of Raisina Middle East, hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The two-day event ran from 14 to 15 October in Abu Dhabi, drawing diplomats and policy leaders from across the region.
The Raisina Middle East platform is emerging as a key track-1.5 diplomatic venue, giving Indian officials the opportunity for compact, high-frequency bilateral engagements on the margins of a structured multilateral dialogue.
Jaishankar's Broader UAE Visit
The India-Georgia meeting was one of several engagements during Jaishankar's official visit to the UAE. He also held talks with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, describing the exchange as 'warm and productive' and noting that both sides discussed bilateral and global issues 'in the spirit of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.'
Jaishankar arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and was received by UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy. The visit signals continued high-level diplomatic traffic between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi under their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework.
What Comes Next
No specific deliverables — such as a memorandum of understanding or a joint statement — were announced from the Jaishankar-Botchorishvili meeting, suggesting this was a relationship-building engagement ahead of more formalised outcomes. Observers will watch for follow-up steps in trade and connectivity cooperation, particularly as Georgia's role as a transit corridor in the broader Eurasian connectivity landscape gains renewed attention.
Point of View
But it reflects a deliberate Indian diplomatic pattern: using multilateral forums to stack bilateral engagements, particularly with countries in Eurasia that sit astride emerging connectivity corridors. Georgia, positioned between the Black Sea and the Caucasus, is a quiet but consequential node in alternative trade routes India is exploring as it diversifies supply chains away from Russia-dependent pathways. The absence of any concrete deliverable from the meeting suggests intent without architecture — a relationship that has expanded in tourism and education but has yet to be anchored by a formal economic framework. That gap is the real story.
NationPress
15 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did Jaishankar meet Georgian FM Maka Botchorishvili?
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Raisina Middle East conference in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 15 October 2026. Both ministers used the multilateral forum to hold a bilateral discussion on India-Georgia ties.
What did India and Georgia agree to discuss at the Abu Dhabi meeting?
Both sides discussed further deepening cooperation in business, connectivity, culture, and people-to-people domains, in addition to reviewing current regional developments. Trade, tourism, and education were highlighted as areas where bilateral ties have already been expanding.
What is Raisina Middle East?
Raisina Middle East is a diplomatic and policy conference hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and India's Ministry of External Affairs. The 2026 edition, held in Abu Dhabi from 14 to 15 October, was its second edition.
What else did Jaishankar do during his UAE visit?
Jaishankar also met UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to discuss bilateral and global issues under the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and was received by UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy.
How significant are India-Georgia ties currently?
India-Georgia relations have been growing steadily in trade, tourism, and education, though they remain modest in scale. The 15 October meeting signals intent to formalise and broaden that engagement, but no concrete agreements or MoUs were announced following the talks.
