Archive · 6 Aug 2026
India, Lesotho review bilateral cooperation, next meeting in Maseru 2027
Two countries, India and Lesotho, are good friends.
Lesotho is a small country in Africa.
Their leaders met in New Delhi, a big city in India.
They talked about how to work together.
They discussed trading things with each other.
They also talked about helping people learn new skills.
They want to work together at the United Nations too.
India invited Lesotho to join a group for solar energy.
The two countries also talked about building things that can survive disasters.
They decided to meet again in 2027 in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho.
India and Lesotho held the sixth meeting of the Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation (JBCC) in New Delhi on July 30, 2026.
The meeting was co-chaired by Janesh Kain, Joint Secretary (East and Southern Africa) at India's Ministry of External Affairs, and Thabang P Lekhela, Principal Secretary of Lesotho's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations.
Both sides reviewed trade and economic cooperation, development partnership, skilling and capacity building, and regional and multilateral collaboration.
India and Lesotho agreed that the next JBCC meeting will be held in Maseru in 2027.
India reiterated invitations for Lesotho to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and both sides agreed to sign proposed MoUs at the earliest opportunity.
- Who
- Officials of India's Ministry of External Affairs, including co-chair Joint Secretary Janesh Kain and Secretary (Economic Relations) Sudhakar Dalela, and Lesotho's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations delegation led by Principal Secretary Thabang P Lekhela.
- What
- The sixth meeting of the Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation (JBCC) reviewing the full range of India-Lesotho bilateral ties.
- When
- July 30, 2026, with additional delegation meetings held on July 31.
- Where
- New Delhi, India; the next JBCC meeting is scheduled for Maseru, Lesotho, in 2027.
- Why
- To strengthen cooperation in trade, development partnership, capacity building, and regional and multilateral forums, including coordination at the United Nations.
- Bilateral forum
- Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation (JBCC)
- Meeting
- 6th JBCC meeting, held July 30, 2026
- Location
- New Delhi, India
- Co-chairs
- Janesh Kain (India) and Thabang P Lekhela (Lesotho)
- Next meeting
- Maseru, Lesotho, in 2027
- Focus areas
- Trade, development partnership, skilling, capacity building, HADR, UN and multilateral coordination
- Invitations reiterated
- International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
- Other developments
- Discussions advanced on proposed MoUs, to be signed at the earliest opportunity