New Delhi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter on Thursday to announce that he has tested positive for Covid-19.

“Have tested Covid positive. Urge all those who have come in recent contact to take suitable precautions,” he tweeted.

He is the second senior minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet to test positive after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh caught the infection on January 10.

Earlier on Thursday, Jaishankar reaffirmed the strong strategic partnership between India and France and said this diplomatic relationship has steadily matured and it's now an opportune time to take it to the next level.

Earlier this month, France assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union and will hold the rotating presidency for the next six months. This period could prove to be important for New Delhi which shares a close strategic partnership with Paris.

During a virtual event titled "The French Presidency: EU-India Partnership in the Indo Pacific", Jaishankar cited how new and old French aircraft flew during the Republic Day parade on Wednesday.

In an interaction with the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Jaishankar said, "It is very easy to talk bout concepts like a strategic partnership. ...Yesterday, we saw the French aircraft flying at the finale of the Republic Day Parade. I mention this because it is a visible example of the strategic ties between India and France."

Jaishankar reminded how the India-France relationship has "steadily matured." "It something that goes back multiple decades. After our nuclear test, France was one of the earliest countries with whom we engaged in a positive format," the minister recalled.