Washington, DC [US], February 5 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a series of bilateral meetings with key counterparts, including Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela, on the sidelines of the Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington.

In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said he felt 'great' to meet his Canadian counterpart and discuss advancing bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

'Great to see FM Anita Anand of Canada today. Talked about taking our ties forward,' the EAM stated in his post.

He also met with Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela of Peru, noting that both sides agreed to deepen cooperation.

'With Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela of Peru. Agreed to deepen our cooperation,' Jaishankar wrote in a separate post on X.

His meetings come amid the Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington DC on Wednesday, during which the EAM called for structured international cooperation to 'de-risk' critical mineral supply chains, noting that 'excessive concentration' poses a major global risk.

In another post on X, Jaishankar said, 'Spoke at the Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington DC today. Underlined challenges of excessive concentration and the importance of de-risking supply chains through structured international cooperation. Highlighted India's efforts towards greater resilience through initiatives including National Critical Minerals Mission, Rare Earth Corridors and responsible commerce. Conveyed India's support to the FORGE initiative on critical minerals.'

Ahead of the ministerial, Jaishankar shared photos of his meetings with the Netherlands FM David van Weel, Italian FM Antonio Tajani, Mohamad Haji Hasan of Malaysia, Bahrain FM Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and FM Battsetseg Batmunkh of Mongolia, among others.

The event, convened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, brought together delegations from over 50 countries, and the European Union is being viewed as a landmark moment in global supply chain diplomacy.

A primary goal of the ministerial is to diversify supply chains for rare earth elements and critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, to reduce global overreliance on China, which currently dominates processing and mining.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to visit India in the first week of March, and his visit is likely to see the signing of deals on uranium, energy, minerals, and Artificial Intelligence.

Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said there would also be a key focus on trade during PM Carney's visit. (ANI)