Page 5 - Bilateral Ties

Navies of India, Singapore conclude maritime bilateral exercise SIMBEX

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Indian Navy have completed their annual Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) that was held from July 28 to August 1. This year's exercise comprised a shore phase held at RSS Singapura-Changi Naval Base, followed by a sea phase held in the southern reaches of the South China Sea. The sea phase involved ships from both navies and aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), the Defence Ministry here said. The RSN deployed a Formidable-class frigate, RSS Supreme, and a Victory-class missile corvette, RSS Vigilance, supported by MV Mentor. The Indian Navy participated with a Shivalik-class frigate, INS Satpura. An S70B naval helicopter, two Fokker-50 maritime patrol aircraft and two F-15SG fighter aircraft from the RSAF also participated in the exercise. During the shore phase, both navies participated in joint planning, simulator training, professional exchanges and sports. At the Subject Matter Expert Exchanges,

Philippines President to visit India from Aug 4-8, to meet PM Modi, Murmu

Marcos after arrival in New Delhi on August 4 will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

Philippines president to visit India from Aug 4-8, hold talks with PM Modi

President of the Philippines, Ferdinand R Marcos Jr., is slated to visit India from August 4 to 8 during which he will meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said. This is his first visit to the country since assuming the office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, it said. The forthcoming state visit of President Marcos coincides with the 75th anniversary of India-Philippines diplomatic relations. The visit is an opportunity for both leaders to "set the path for future bilateral cooperation", and to engage on regional and international issues of mutual interest, the MEA said. Prime Minister Modi and President Marcos are scheduled to hold bilateral discussions on August 5, it said. President Marcos will also be meeting President Murmu during his visit. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is also scheduled to call on him during the visit, the MEA said in a ...

India, UK to ink FTA today: Trade, defence, energy on Modi-Starmer agenda

The Free Trade Agreement is being described as India's most comprehensive trade pact ever and the UK's most significant since Brexit

FTA, UK-India Vision 2035 mark shift in bilateral ties: Foreign secy Lammy

Besides a "significant and comprehensive" Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to be signed between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer, an ambitious new UK-India Vision 2035 agreement will also be agreed between the leaders on Thursday to mark a "step-change" in bilateral ties for the next decade, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said. In an interview with PTI to coincide with Modi's visit to the UK, the senior UK Cabinet minister said the pact will build on the FTA to unlock new opportunities that strengthen defence cooperation and drive innovation between both economies. Lammy said the UK is thrilled that Prime Minister Modi is visiting to sign the FTA, the most significant bilateral trade deal for Britain since leaving the European Union (EU) and the most comprehensive agreement India has ever signed. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will naturally be a central focus, a testament to the strength of our partnership, said Lammy. It's projected to boost bilateral trade

Explained: What the India-UK free trade deal means for both economies

India and the UK are likely to sign a long-awaited free trade deal during PM Modi's visit to London on July 24, aiming to boost trade, cut tariffs, and deepen economic ties

Iran president to visit Pakistan on July 26 to strengthen bilateral ties

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit Pakistan on Saturday to deepen the bilateral ties in the backdrop of recent regional conflicts, according to a media report. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi discussed the upcoming visit with his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni during a telephone conversation on Monday. Momeni had called Naqvi to express sorrow over the loss of lives and property caused by the floods in Pakistan, according to Radio Pakistan. The Iranian Interior Minister also discussed the visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Pakistan on July 26, Radio Pakistan reported. Pezeshkian will be the second Iranian president to visit Pakistan in as many years, after his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, paid a three-day official visit to Pakistan in April 2024. The exact agenda of the visit is not known as yet, but the two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral and regional matters, especially the security issues in the wake of the recent conflicts, it h

Importers delay clearances for US dry fruits to avoid high import duties

Indian dry fruit importers are expecting a cut of nearly 50 per cent in import duties on US-origin shipments and are delaying customs clearances to avoid losses if duties are reduced after clearance

PM Modi wraps up five-nation trip after concluding visit to Namibia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday left for home after wrapping up his visit to Namibia, during which he addressed a Joint Session of the Namibian parliament. Namibia was the final stop of his five-nation visit. "A highly productive & successful 5-nation tour to Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia concludes," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a post on X. PM Modi has emplaned for New Delhi, it said. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi held talks with Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah that focused on imparting a new momentum to the bilateral ties. Following the talks between the two leaders, India and Namibia inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on setting up an Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Namibia and another pact on cooperation in the field of health and medicine. Namibia has also joined the India-backed CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure) and the Global Biofuels Alliance. Later, addressing a ...

PM Modi arrives in Namibia, to hold talks with President Nandi-Ndaitwah

PM Modi is in Namibia for a State visit at the invitation of Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah

Want India-Brazil relation to be as passionate as football: PM Modi

India and Brazil on Tuesday set a target of nearly doubling the bilateral trade to USD 20 billion in annual trade in the next five years and inked six agreements to expand cooperation in a range of sectors including energy and agriculture following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The two leaders also deliberated on combating terrorism with Modi saying both sides were clear that there is no place for double standards on terrorism. "We have a similar thinking on the fight against terrorism -- zero tolerance and zero double standards. We are clear that there is no place for double standards on terrorism," the prime minister said in his media statement. "We strongly oppose terrorism and those who support terrorism," he added. Modi travelled to Brasilia on Monday evening after attending the two-day BRICS summit in this seaside Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. "We want India-Brazil relations to be as colourful as carnival,

PM Modi, Brazil President set $20 bn trade target for next 5 years: MEA

The two leaders discussed the entire spectrum of the partnership, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East) P Kumaran said

FM Sitharaman discusses bilateral ties with Russian, Chinese counterparts

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a series of bilateral meetings, including with Russian and Chinese counterparts, and discussed issues of bilateral cooperation and interests. These meetings were held on the sidelines of the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Rio de Janeiro. During a meeting with Anton Siluanov, Finance Minister of Russia, Sitharaman expressed gratitude for the support extended by President Vladimir Putin after the Pahalgam terror attack, the finance ministry said in a post on X. The two leaders discussed India-Russia long-standing partnership. The finance minister observed that India and Russia enjoy exemplary levels of mutual trust and understanding and our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains resilient and steadfast, it said. The two sides also discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, including cooperation in the financial sector, along with matters related to NDB. In another bilateral meeting with her Chines

Active negotiations under way with over a dozen countries to finalise BIT

India is actively negotiating bilateral investment treaties (BITs) with over a dozen countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel, Oman, European Union, Switzerland, Russia, and Australia, a government official said. Besides these nations, talks are underway with Tajikistan, Cambodia, Uruguay, Maldives, Switzerland, and Kuwait. These investment treaties help in protecting and promoting investments in each other's countries. With India approaching to become the third-largest economy and a hub for global manufacturing, the government is taking a series of measures to further improve its investment regime that encourages investors. "It is expected that in the next 3-6 months, BIT with some of these countries will be finalised and announced," the official added. The government in the last Budget has announced revamping the current model Bilateral Investment Treaty to make it more investor-friendly and attract foreign players. The country signed BITs with two countries in 2024. La

Latest LIVE: Kerala on alert after 2 suspected Nipah cases spark concern in 3 districts

Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

Trinidad and Tobago PM praises PM Modi, calls him transformational force

While addressing Indian community event in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday, Bissessar hailed the relationship between two nations, calling them 'ties of ancestry, kinship, sacrifice and love'

PM Modi thanks Trinidad and Tobago, says 'visit will cement bilateral ties'

PM Modi was welcomed with a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Piarco International Airport, where he was received by PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 38 ministers and four MPs of the Caribbean nation

PM Modi receives Guard of Honour in Trinidad & Tobago, welcomed by PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his first official visit to Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday (local time) with a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Piarco International Airport, where he was received by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar along with 38 ministers and four Members of Parliament of the caribean nation.This is PM Modi's first visit to the country as Prime Minister and the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Caribbean nation since 1999. The visit comes at the invitation of Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.During his two-day stay from July 3 to 4, Modi will hold meetings with President Christine Carla Kangaloo and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to strengthen ties between the two countries.The High Commission in Port of Spain welcomed him with a post on X: "Welcome to Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji!!"Earlier, ahead of the PM's visit, India's High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, Pradeep ..

US State dept calls India a key partner, wants fair and reciprocal trade

Houston underlined the United States' aim of establishing a "fair and reciprocal" trade relationship with its partners, in line with the Trump administration's "America First" agenda

Jaishankar, US Energy Secretary discuss ways for deeper energy partnership

Jaishankar also met US Secretary of Defence Hegseth, where he highlighted the importance of India-US defence ties, callingh them 'one of the most consequential pillars' of the bilateral relationship