Page 22 - Bilateral Ties

Yellen's China visit ends sans announcement of agreements to mend ties

She indulged in ten hours of meetings over two days and left for Washington on Sunday. However, it is unlikely that the economic tension between the two countries will actually ease, the report noted

Lankan Speaker thanks India for help amid crisis, says 'you saved us'

Describing New Delhi as a "close associate" and a "trustworthy friend" of Colombo, Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Friday thanked India for the financial assistance it extended to the island nation when it reeled under an unprecedented economic crisis last year. Sri Lanka was hit by a catastrophic financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. As the country struggled, locked in the throes of the crisis, India extended multi-pronged assistance of about USD 4 billion to it last year, through multiple credit lines and currency support, in line with India's Neighbourhood First' policy. In his address at the gala dinner reception hosted for delegates of the Indian Travel Congress here, Abeywardena said that India "saved us" during the financial crisis otherwise, there would have been "another bloodbath for all of us". At the evening reception, the Speaker thanked India for

EAM to visit Tanzania from July 5-8, will co-chair Joint Commission Meet

"India and Tanzania have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations. EAM's visit to Tanzania will further consolidate the bilateral relations between our two countries," the MEA said

UK calls for UN reform with permanent Security Council seat for India

The UK government has reiterated its call for reform of the United Nations as one of its top transnational priorities and supported India's bid for permanent membership of the powerful Security Council. India has been at the forefront of the years-long efforts to reform the UN Security Council (UNSC), saying it rightly deserved a place as a permanent member of the United Nations. Currently, the UNSC has five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. Only a permanent member has the power to veto any substantive resolution. In a speech at a conference at the Chatham House think tank in London on Thursday, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called for a reinvigorated multilateral system that is more reflective of the times. He pointed out that the world's economic centre of gravity is shifting away from the Euro-Atlantic and towards the Indo-Pacific but the multilateral institutions are yet to catch up. I have five transnational priorities. First, reform of the .

Pak Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto to visit Japan to revive bilateral ties

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is set to make his official maiden visit to Japan from July 1 to 4 to revive the bilateral relations after a considerable hiatus. Pakistan has tried to maintain a fine balance while pursuing ties with its all-weather ally China and its rival Japan. During the visit, Bilawal will be calling Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and will hold a meeting with the National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba, the Foreign Office said. The Foreign Minister's visit signals the revival of leadership level contacts with Japan after a considerable hiatus, it said in a statement, adding that Bilawal will hold delegation-level talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi. He will deliver a lecture at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), which is a renowned think tank in Japan. Bilawal is also expected to interact with senior officials and executives representing prominent business houses and entities related to the import of Pakistani manpowe

President Putin calls PM Modi big friend of Russia' at Moscow's ASI forum

President Vladimir Putin has called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a big friend" of Russia and said his 'Make in India' campaign has had a "truly impressive effect" on the country's economy. Putin made these remarks on Thursday at a forum in Moscow organised by Russia's Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI). Our friends in India and our big friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched the Make in India' initiative several years ago. It has had a truly impressive effect on the Indian economy. It would do no harm to emulate what is working well, even if it was not us but our friends who created it, the president was quoted as saying by the RT News. Putin made a case for India as he discussed the opportunities for Russian companies due to the West's sanctions policies, and the need for Moscow to offer support tools to help our companies market their products more efficiently. Crediting Indian leadership for creating an effective model to develop local manufacturing capabilities and w

US sees growing role for India in South China Sea: Biden admin official

The US sees a growing role for India in the disputed South China Sea and there will be a collaboration between Washington and New Delhi in this strategically vital region, a top Biden administration official said, amid growing Chinese aggression in the area. These remarks were made by Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Kritenbrink on Wednesday at the Thirteenth Annual South China Sea Conference by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. China claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea (SCS) as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Responding to a question on if Kritenbrink sees a growing role for India in the South China Sea and if there will be US-India collaboration in this, Yes, I do. And yes, I think we will. he .

Jaishankar, Manalo co-chair 5th India-Philippines co-operation commission

The two leaders discussed a number of key areas of cooperation including cooperation in trade and investment, defence, health, medicine, agriculture, and others

India, Philippines underline commitment to strengthen bilateral relations

The Philippines Secretary for Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said India and the Philippines are working together to amplify their voices for the developing world in the global discourse

Wouldn't allow to be used as base for threats against India: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka would not be allowed to be used as a base for any threats against India, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, asserting that the island nation remains "neutral", having no military agreements with China. Wickremesinghe, who was on an official visit to the UK and France, made the comments during an interview with France's state media on Monday. In an interview with France24, Wickremesinghe said, "We are a neutral country, but we also emphasise the fact that we cannot allow Sri Lanka to be used as a base for any threats against India." Responding to a question about China's perceived military presence in Sri Lanka, the president said that the Chinese have been in the country for about "1500 years and, so far, there has been no military base". Wickremesinghe asserted that the island nation has no military agreement with China and said, "There won't be any military agreements. I don't think China will enter into one." The president said there were no issues of military u

Japan to reinstate South Korea as preferred trade nation from July 21

Japan announced a decision on Tuesday to reinstate South Korea as a preferred nation with fast-track trade status starting July 21, virtually ending a four-year economic row that was further strained during their bitter historic disputes. Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters that Japan and South Korea have also agreed to set up a framework to review and follow up on the systems as needed. Japan and South Korea have been rapidly mending their ties as they deepen three-way security cooperation with Washington in response to growing regional threats from North Korea and China. A reinstatement of South Korea's preferential status next month would end a four-year trade dispute that began in July 2019 when Japan removed South Korea from its white list of countries given fast-track approvals in trade as ties deteriorated over compensation for Japanese wartime actions. Japan's tightening of trade controls against Seoul was an apparent retaliation for South Korean court rulings

Wise policies being adopted by Modi in bringing co-existence: Grand Mufti

The Grand Mufti also presented a special gift to Prime Minister Modi in Cairo

PM Modi meets Egyptian counterpart, top ministers; discusses trade ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began his maiden state visit to Egypt by holding discussions with his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly and top Cabinet ministers on deepening trade relations and further strengthening the strategic partnership. Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years. Modi began his visit with discussions with Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly and top Cabinet ministers to deepen trade relations and further strengthen the strategic partnership. The Prime Minister also met the Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam and interacted with the members of the Indian diaspora. He also met the members of the Indian diaspora and the Bohra community. The Prime Minister's meeting with the Bohra community members comes ahead of his visit on Sunday to Cairo's historic Al-Hakim Mosque, restored with the help of India's Dawoodi Bohra .

PM Modi's first state visit to Egypt to boost bilateral ties: Indian envoy

India's multi-faceted relations with Egypt, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership' this year, will receive further impetus with the first state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to this key Middle East nation, India's ambassador here has said. Prime Minister Modi will be arriving here Saturday evening at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. It will be the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997. "We are very much looking forward to the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Cairo from 24th to 25th of June. The visit is a very historic occasion because the last bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister was as far back as 1997," Ajit Gupte, India's Ambassador to Egypt, to PTI in an interview. Modi will hold talks with El-Sisi on Sunday to discuss ways to give further impetus to the strategic partnership between the two major nations. "I am excited to pay a state visit to a close and friendly country for the first time," Modi said in his depart

Defence deals boost India-US ties, marks new era in relations, say experts

Defence deals signed between India and US during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit not only enhance India's defence capabilities, but also show growing proximity between the two countries, experts said on Friday. India and US inked a $3 billion deal for 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs, of which the Navy will get 15 SeaGuardian drones. while the Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) will get eight each of the land version - SkyGuardian. Another major announcement that came was an MoU signed between GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. Former Deputy National Security Advisor Pankaj Saran called it a "new era" in India-US relationships. "This marks a new era in relationships. The key takeaway is the focus on two sectors - defence and technology. The third element is the boldness of ambition shown by both sides," Saran told PTI. "In the past also we have had summits, but in this particular summit th

PM Modi's visit will take India-US ties to next level, says Kamala Harris

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first State visit to the US will take bilateral ties in areas of space, defence, emerging technology and supply chains to the next level, Vice President Kamala Harris has said. Modi became the first Indian leader to address the joint session of the US Congress twice on Thursday. He first addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress in 2016. "The US-India partnership is stronger than ever. Together, our nations will shape the future as we work to create a more prosperous, secure, and healthy world," Harris' office tweeted on Thursday. "The partnership between the United States and India is one of the most important of the 21st century, and this visit will take our partnership to the next level from space, to defense, to emerging technology and supply chains," it said. Modi, in his response, thanked Vice President Harris for her remarks. "Our partnership indeed holds immense potential for this century. I am equally enthusiastic about elevating our ...

India's position on Russia understood in entire world: PM ahead of US visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India stands on the side of peace in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported

US ambassador Eric Garcetti hails strong, growing bilateral ties with India

United States Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti has hailed the strong and growing ties between India and the US and described the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi there as "a prime example of the accelerated collaboration between our two countries". He made the remarks while presiding over the 247th anniversary celebration of US independence here on Thursday evening. According to a release from the US Consulate here, the event highlighted US-India areas of cooperation, including in the Indo-Pacific, gender equity, innovation, space, and climate change, while also recognising robust people-to-people ties and institutional partnerships between the two countries. Ambassador Garcetti hailed the strong and growing partnership between the US and India, particularly South India. "The deep ties between the US and India are gaining strength in many key areas and South India has a key role in the partnership. The upcoming visit to the US by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a pri

We work closely with India on our most vital priorities: US spokesperson

US partnership with India is one of the most consequential relationships and the two nations work closely on the most vital priorities, US Department of State official spokesperson Matthew Miller said

India-Russia aim for bilateral trade of $50 bn in 2023: Indian Embassy

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