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Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will arrive in Nepal on Wednesday on a two-day visit mainly to lay the groundwork for a likely trip to India by Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah. Prime Minister Shah is likely to visit India in the last week of November, his first bilateral trip after assuming office in March, according to Foreign Ministry sources here. The dates of the visit are yet to be announced officially. Foreign Secretary Misri is paying an official visit to Nepal from November 4-5 at the invitation of Nepal's Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, the Foreign Ministry here said in a statement. During the visit, the foreign secretary will hold bilateral discussions with his Indian counterpart, it said. The two sides will review the full range of Nepal-India relations and exchange views on matters of mutual interest, with a view to further strengthening the long-standing close and friendly ties between the two countries, the ministry said. Misri will also pay courtesy
Eleven Indian crew members were injured on Tuesday after a Panama-flagged commercial vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a strong condemnation from New Delhi. The vessel, MT On Peace, carried 19 crew members, including 17 Indian nationals. In total, 12 crew members -- 11 of them Indian -- sustained injuries in the strike, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "We condemn the attack earlier today on a Panama-flagged commercial vessel MT On Peace off the coast of Oman, where it was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz," the MEA said in a statement. "Of the total crew of 19, 17 are Indian nationals. It is learnt that 12 crew members have been injured, including 11 Indian nationals," it said. The MEA said continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region remain a "cause of deep concern" for India. "We reiterate our call for an immediate cessation of such attacks in the interests of peace and ...
India on Wednesday condemned the latest wave of attacks carried out by Houthi militants on oil installations in Saudi Arabia, and said the strikes undermined regional security. The Iran-backed Houthi militant group targeted Saudi oil facilities and some other civilian infrastructure on Tuesday, triggering widespread apprehensions about further escalation in the West Asia conflict. India condemned the attacks on Saudi sovereign territory, especially the targeting of civilian and economic facilities, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He added that such attacks that undermined regional security and stability and threatened freedom of navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb were "unacceptable". Jaiswal was responding to a media query. The attacks on Saudi oil facilities came amid the US ramping up its economic sanctions against Iran. The Houthis have been majorly operating from Yemen.
India has backed Palestine's bid for United Nations membership and reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution to the festering conflict between the Palestinian people and Israel. New Delhi's position on Palestine was apprised by Sripriya Ranganathan, a secretary at the external affairs ministry during a ministerial meeting of the Palestine Donor Group, held in Brussels on Monday. India has been backing a vision of a "two-state" solution with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within recognised borders, consistent with international law. At the Palestine Donor Group meeting, Ranganathan emphasised that India has been a long standing partner of the Palestinian people, and reaffirmed India's continued support to a two-state solution as well as to Palestine's membership of the UN, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). She underlined India's ongoing developmental assistance, including capacity building programmes and humanitarian assistanc
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh will lead the Indian delegation that will participate in the inaugural United Nation's Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva from July 6-7, the MEA said on Sunday. The Global Dialogue is a unique opportunity to advance international governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in ways that complement international, regional, national and multi-stakeholder efforts, it said. Minister of State for External Affairs and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Singh, will be leading the Indian delegation to Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Dialogue on AI Governance is a universal, multi-stakeholder UN forum established under General Assembly Resolution 79/325, following the Global Digital Compact adopted as part of the Pact of the Future in September 2024. "Together with the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI that promotes scientific understanding, transparency, accountability and robust human oversight, the ...
As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi concluded her official visit to India on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs said it reaffirmed the commitment of the two sides to nurture a partnership pivotal to the shared growth and prosperity of both countries. The India-Japan partnership is also an anchor for promoting peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the MEA said, and asserted that the 16th India-Japan annual summit here was "highly successful". "A memorable visit concludes, advancing India-Japan partnership towards shared horizons. PM @takaichi_sanae of Japan departs from India following the highly successful 16th India-Japan Annual Summit. She was seen off by Minister of State @DrJitendraSingh," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X. He also shared some photos of the send-off in Delhi. Takaichi visited the country at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from July 1 to 3 for the 16th India-Japan annual ...
