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Ministry Of External Affairs
India on Friday called on Bangladesh to firmly deal with communal incidents in that country. New Delhi's reaction came against the backdrop of the killing of at least five Hindu men in hostile circumstances in Bangladesh in the last few weeks. "We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly, he said. "We have observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, political differences, or extraneous reasons," Jaiswal said. "Such disregard only emboldens the perpetrators and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among minorities," he added.
India is strengthening its relationship with Europe and both sides can bring more stability into the international economy and global politics, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday. His remarks, after holding talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris, came in the face of a factitious geopolitical environment, including global concerns over the way the United States has carried out a military operation in Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro. The external affairs minister said Europe is an important player in global politics and it is necessary that India strengthens its relationship with it. "I think it was a very conscious choice. It was a choice which reflected our belief that this relationship with Europe is really poised to grow, grow to the next level," Jaishankar said at a media briefing when asked why he was in Europe. The comments also came amid New Delhi's frosty ties with the US after President Donald Trump slapped a whoppin
India on Monday said Pakistan's "horrific and systemic victimisation" of minorities of various faiths is a well established fact and no amount of "finger pointing" will "obfuscate" it. New Delhi said this while strongly trashing Pakistan's comments on the condition of minorities in India. "We reject the reported remarks from a country whose abysmal record on this front speaks for itself," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "Pakistan's horrific and systemic victimisation of minorities of various faiths is a well established fact. No amount of finger pointing will obfuscate it," he said. In Islamabad, Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, responding to media queries on alleged vandalism during Christmas celebrations in some places in India, said "persecution of minorities in India is a matter of deep concern". Andrabi referred to what he called "recent condemnable incidents" of vandalism during Christmas, as well as campaigns allegedly targeti
Security has been strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city in the wake of heightened tensions following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, officials said on Saturday. The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that "no third party can exploit the situation", Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper. According to police, security was reinforced from Friday morning at the Assistant High Commission office located in Upashahar area, the residence of the Assistant High Commissioner in the same locality, and the visa application centre in the Shobhanighat area. Members of the security forces also remained deployed throughout the night. Following the death of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Hadi on Thursday, Gano Odhikar Parishad had announced a programme to besiege the Assistant High
With new, important areas of bilateral cooperation coming up, there is scope for raising the ambition of India-Netherlands relationship, and whether it is semiconductors, digital, cyberspace or life sciences, "we would like to work more closely with you", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday. In his opening remarks before holding talks with his Dutch counterpart David van Weel here, the EAM also said, "We also count on your support as we are moving to what I hope is a decisive phase in our negotiations with the European Union on the Free Trade Agreement." The minister of foreign affairs of the Netherlands visited India from December 17-19 at the invitation of the external affairs minister, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The MEA in a statement said the Indian side looked forward to welcoming Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof for the AI Impact Summit in February 2026 in New Delhi. The Dutch side reiterated the invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi fo
India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra has held meetings with senior Democratic lawmakers, discussing cooperation in emerging technologies, defence, and trade as part of efforts to further strengthen bilateral ties. In a social media post on Saturday, Kwatra said he held an engaging conversation with Congressman Ted Lieu, Vice Chair of the House Democrats Caucus, during which they discussed shared priorities on emerging developments in artificial intelligence, defence and security cooperation, trade and investment, and people-to-people exchanges. The envoy said he looked forward to continued collaboration on issues of mutual interest. In another meeting on Friday, Kwatra met Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Chair of the House Black Caucus, and described her as a "steadfast supporter of strong IndiaUS relations". He said the discussions with Clarke focused on advancing IndiaUS collaboration in the AI space, including data privacy and data security.
Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to clarify the association of his ministry with a key accused in connection with the death of singer Zubeen Garg. Gogoi has also sought a statement from Jaishankar over Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's claim that Garg's death in Singapore was an incident of murder. Garg had died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19. He was in the island nation to participate in the North East India Festival (NEIF), 2025. The SIT of Assam Police has so far arrested seven people in the case, including the chief organiser of the festival, Shyamkanu Mahanta. Gogoi, in a letter to Jaishankar on Thursday, said that the festival was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs with support from the High Commission of India in Singapore. The Congress leader pointed out that one of the accused in the ongoing police investigation was directly associated with the organisation of the festival, i