Page 22 - Bilateral Ties

PM Modi holds talks with Lankan president to boost economic cooperation

Wickremesinghe arrived in Delhi on a two-day visit which is the first tour of India by a senior Sri Lankan leader since the island nation was hit by an unprecedented economic crisis last year

BRICS came into being to create more just world: S African ambassador

The BRICS bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was created to address the inequities in the current world order, South African diplomat Anil Sooklal said on Thursday. Sooklal, the Ambassador at Large: Asia and BRICS at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, was speaking on radio station 702 after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not personally attend the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. Russia will be represented by its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the summit. However, Putin will deliver his speech via video conference at the BRICS Summit that will take place between August 22 and 24. South Africa is the current chair of the BRICS. The ICC has indicted Putin for war crimes over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children. As a member of the ICC, South Africa is expected to arrest Putin if he sets foot in the country. "President Putin decided n

EAM Jaishankar meets Sri Lanka president during leader's 2-day India visit

Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi noted that Wickremesinghe's visit will further boost the multi-prolonged partnership between India and Sri Lanka

Turkish president doesn't rule out deadlocked Cyprus peace talks restart

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday didn't rule out reviving deadlocked negotiations to resolve Cyprus' nearly 50-year ethnic division, but again rejected any deal that wouldn't offer Turkish Cypriots a state of their own. That position stands against a United Nations-sanctioned framework envisioning a federated island nation. Speaking at celebrations in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north on the 49th anniversary of a Turkish invasion that split the island along ethnic lines, Erdogan again poured cold water on Greek Cypriot hopes of forming a federation composed of Greek and Turkish speaking zones as has been the aim of talks for decades. Everyone needs to understand now that a federal solution is not possible, Erdogan said. He said that Turkey does not oppose fresh talks, but that negotiations cannot restart without recognising the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots. Prompted by a coup in Cyprus aimed at uniting the island wit

India, Germany to strengthen bilateral ties: German Vice Chancellor

Germany's Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck on Thursday said India and Germany want to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and increase investments and collaboration among companies. He arrived on a three-day visit to India on Thursday. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Indo-German Business Forum here, Habeck also said China is Germany's biggest trading partner and a lot of German and European companies have invested in that country. "It is a huge market and this goes the same for India and for the US for example. On the other hand we see that being dependent on only one market could be a risk and even more so if we see that economic issues are not politically neutral, that interests are interwoven in the economic relations," he said. He further said "we can't decouple from China" but de-risking and diversification is of highest importance. Diversification, he said means that other partnerships, the Indo-German ...

India-US defence relationship robust, increasing in scope: US General

Describing India as a strategic partner to the United States, a top American general has told lawmakers that the India-US military-to-military relationship is robust and increasing in scope and sophistication. "India is a strategic partner to the United States. Our military-to-military relationship is robust and increasing in scope and sophistication," General Charles Q. Brown told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "If confirmed, my strategy would be to continue to bolster the Major Defence Partnership with India by expanding our existing bilateral military-to-military dialogues and defence industrial and technology cooperation," Brown said in written response to a question. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or "Quad" with the US, Japan, India, and Australia as its members is designed to uphold the international rules-based order, ensure freedom of navigation, promote democratic values, improve

India, France welcome MoU for construction of three Scorpene submarines

The MoU has been signed between Mazgon Dockyard Ltd and Naval Group for the construction of three additional submarines under the P75 programme

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PM Modi holds 'fruitful' meetings with French counterpart, Senate President

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday began his two-day visit to France with "fruitful" meetings with his French counterpart Elisabeth Borne and Senate President Gerard Larcher during which he discussed ways to impart new impetus to India's longstanding and time-tested strategic partnership with the key European nation. Modi, who landed here earlier in the day, was received by Prime Minister Borne at the airport in a special gesture. A ceremonial welcome and Guard of honour were accorded to Prime Minister Modi upon his arrival. In his first engagement, Modi had a "productive meeting" with Senate President Larcher and the two leaders deliberated on a range of issues of mutual interest and agreed to work together to deepen India-France cooperation in a number of areas, the Prime Minister's Office said. Modi then met Prime Minister Borne and discussed measures to further strengthen the bilateral ties. "PM @narendramodi held fruitful talks with PM @elisabeth_borne in Paris. The leaders

India-France partnership to advance secure Indo Pacific region: PM Modi

During his France visit from July 13-14, PM Modi will hold formal talks with President Emmanuel Macron. Macron will host a State Banquet as well as a private dinner in honour of the Prime Minister

Foreign Secy arrives in Colombo ahead of Sri Lankan Prez's India visit

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra has arrived here on a two-day official visit to Sri Lanka to take stock of several Indian projects and make arrangements for Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's upcoming trip to India. Kwatra landed at Bandaranaike International Airport here on Monday night. Officials said Kwatra would assess several Indian projects in multiple sectors which are in the pipeline and prepare the ground for Wickremesinghe's visit to India. Wickremesinghe will embark on a two-day visit to India on July 21 during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials here said on Sunday. They said Wickremesinghe will finalise the implementation of several Indian projects related to power and energy, agriculture, and maritime issues in the island nation ahead of his departure for New Delhi. This will be Wickremesinghe's first visit to India after being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabaya ...

PM Modi's France visit to likely boost economic cooperation, EU-India ties

PM Modi will visit France to attend the Bastille Day Parade as the Guest of Honour at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron

Rajnath Singh discusses deepening of bilateral ties with Malaysian PM

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called on Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim and held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan here on Monday and discussed ways to further deepen bilateral defence ties. Singh arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday on a three-day visit aimed at further boosting bilateral defence and strategic ties. "Called on the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mr @anwaribrahim in Kuala Lumpur. Deeply appreciate his positive approach and interest towards further deepening India-Malaysia bilateral relations," he tweeted. "Had an excellent meeting with the Defence Minister of Malaysia, Mr. Mohamad Hasan in Kuala Lumpur today. We reviewed the diverse pillars of the extensive bilateral defence engagement and discussed the roadmap for the 4th Decade of India-Malaysia Defence Cooperation," he said. The defence ministry in New Delhi said on Saturday that Singh and Hasan will review defence cooperation between the two countries and explore new initiatives to further .

Ukraine's possible entry may be biggest challenge at upcoming Nato meet

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO's much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania. The world's biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member. Military spending by member nations lags behind long-standing goals. An inability to compromise over who should serve as NATO's next leader forced an extension of the current secretary-general's term for an extra year. Perhaps the most difficult questions are over how Ukraine should be eased into NATO. Some maintain admitting Ukraine would fulfil a promise made years ago and be a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others fear it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict. "I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO," President Joe Biden told CNN in an interview airing Sunday. He said joining NATO requires countries t

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