Page 7 - Bilateral Ties

India, New Zealand sign major pact to boost defence, security ties

India and New Zealand on Monday inked a mega pact to institutionalise their defence and security ties even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed concerns to his Kiwi counterpart over certain unlawful elements carrying out anti-India activities in the Pacific island nation. Modi and visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held wide-ranging talks with a focus on ramping up overall bilateral ties, especially in areas of trade, defence, education and agriculture. In his media statement, Modi said both sides decided to strengthen and institutionalise defence and security partnership and a roadmap will be prepared for cooperation in the defence industry sector. "We both are unanimous against terrorism. Whether it is the Christchurch terrorist attack of March 15, 2019, or the Mumbai attack of November 26, 2008, terrorism in any form is unacceptable," he said. The prime minister said strict action is necessary against those guilty of terrorist attacks. "We will continue t

PM Modi holds bilateral meeting with New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon

The meeting comes amid a growing push to enhance bilateral ties, with both leaders set to discuss economic cooperation, trade expansion, and regional security

India has agreed to cut tariffs, says Trump amid bilateral trade talks

India and the US are holding discussions on a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) aimed at reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers

Friendless EU suddenly wants India's approval amid shifting global ties

Europe's leaders have correctly decided that they now need as many friends: Japan, the South Americans, India, the Gulf kingdoms as they can possibly cobble together

MoS Margherita represents India in swearing-in ceremony of Uruguay's Prez

Margherita said he conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the new government of Uruguay

Best of BS Opinion: India needs to recalibrate in a changing world order

Today's editorials and columns look at the world through the lens of relationships, and how they don't always turn out as intended

Can MAGA and MIGA co-exist? India-US trade tariff talks may hold the key

While a trade deal between India and US looks natural, given differences in economic structure, India will need to improve quality of its exports failing which US will simply turn to other producers

PM Modi, Trump meet reaffirms strength of US-India partnership: USISPF

USISPF noted that PM Modi is the fourth world leader that Trump met in his first month in office, which showcases the importance and heft of the bilateral relationship

Natural gas, nuclear energy get renewed push from Trump-Modi trade talks

In a joint statement, PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump reaffirmed their commitment to increase energy trade

PM Modi, Donald Trump agree to negotiate bilateral trade agreement

US President says he will impose reciprocal tariff on India even as he acknowledges New Delhi's decision to reduce basic customs duties on certain items

PM Modi, US President Trump plan joint press conference: Full schedule here

PM Modi US visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in the United States, expected to discuss trade policies, reciprocal tariffs, and more

PM Modi arrives in Washington DC to rousing welcome by Indian diaspora

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rousing welcome from members of the Indian-American diaspora when he reached Blair House, the President's Guest House. Prime Minister Modi arrived in the US on Wednesday where he will meet President Donald Trump on Thursday for his bilateral meeting after last month's inauguration ceremony. As he reached Blair House, the President's Guest House, where he will be staying he was accorded a rousing welcome by members of the Indian-American diaspora. Braving freezing temperatures and rain, the community members gathered at Blair House and welcomed him with 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', 'Vande Mataram' and Modi Modi' as they waved the Indian and American flags. A warm reception in the winter chill! Despite the cold weather, the Indian diaspora in Washington DC has welcomed me with a very special welcome. My gratitude to them, Modi said on X. Prime Minister Modi is the fourth foreign leader hosted by Trump in the weeks after his inauguration last ...

US-India ties strengthen, driven by trade, and tech: Sinclair Chairman

David Smith highlighted the growing alignment between the two countries, emphasising their expanding collaboration across multiple sectors

India open to revive US trade deal talks during PM Modi's upcoming visit

Inter-departmental meetings being held to identify key trade-related proposals

Russian lawmaker Vyacheslav Volodin arrives in India for official talks

The Chairman of the Russian parliament's lower house, Vyacheslav Volodin, arrived in India on Monday for an official visit.His discussions with Indian leaders will focus on improving cooperation in economic, cultural, educational, and technological fields, alongside strengthening inter-parliamentary dialogue between the two nations.Sharing the pictures of his arrival on X, the Russian Embassy in India wrote, "Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin arrived on an official visit to #India. In #NewDelhi, issues of #RussiaIndia cooperation in economic, cultural, educational & technological spheres, as well as the development of interparliamentary dialogue will be discussed."In another post, the embassy added, "Meetings of the Chairman with the Indian leadership and a visit to both houses of the Parliament of #India are planned."Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to visit India for the annual summit this year. The dates for the visit will be worked ...

India and China discuss Ladakh border during foreign secretary visit

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was on a two-day visit to Beijing to improve India-China bilateral ties

Govt examines Trump's trade memo to assess impact on bilateral trade

India is examining the Trump's memorandum - America First Trade Policy - to assess its impact on the bilateral trade with the US, which is its largest trading partner, sources said on Wednesday. They also said that the White House directive to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify countries with which the US can negotiate agreements on a bilateral or sector-specific basis is a positive development for countries like India. "We are studying and examining the memo. We have to evaluate things before framing any strategy...As of now from a plain reading of that, I do not see something we need to be worried about. Everything that we examine does not translate into action," one of the sources added. The government is also awaiting confirmation of appointment of key trade officials in the US. "Confirmations will take a bit of time. Once confirmations happen there will be discussion. India and the US are good trading partners," the source said. According to the memoran

India, Singapore to celebrate 60 yrs of diplomatic ties with film festival

The High Commission of India in Singapore will organise the Indian Film Festival 2025 (IFF 2025) in collaboration with the Singapore Film Society and screen 18 films for the Singapore public as part of the celebration of 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. High Commissioner Dr Shilpak Ambule said efforts would be made to make the festival, which begins on January 24 this year and runs until March 2, an annual affair. "A mixed range of movies have been selected from classics made decades ago to regional language hits. It is being organised on a non-commercial basis with support from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the National Film Development Corporation of India," Ambule said on Wednesday. The festival will showcase three movies every weekend at Golden Village Cinema in Suntec City, a sprawling shopping and recreational complex in the Central Business District. In total, the festival brings 18 movies from across different genres in seven ..

US state secy Rubio to hold 1st bilateral meet with Jaishankar after Quad

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold his first bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar here later Tuesday. Jaishankar is here at the invitation of the US Government to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States. Trump on Monday took oath as the president of the US. "Secretary Rubio meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar at the Department of State," the State Department said, releasing the schedule of the new Secretary of State on the first day as the top American diplomat. The meeting between the two top diplomats representing the world's oldest and largest democracies would take place at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, soon after the first QUAD ministerial in the same building. "Secretary Rubio meets with Indo-Pacific Quad Foreign Ministers at the Department of State," said the advisory. QUAD is an informal group of countries representing Australia, India, Japan and th

Improving connectivity to boost India-New Zealand trade ties: GTRI

India and New Zealand should address market access issues for goods, promote collaborations in key sectors, and work on improving connectivity with an aim to boost bilateral trade, which is just USD 1.5 billion, think tank GTRI said on Sunday. Both countries should set a target to double two-way trade within five years by identifying products for early tariff relief and organizing business delegations and roadshows in India, it said. It also said that India's proposed free trade agreement with New Zealand would have limited benefit to domestic companies as they are already enjoying duty free access to a significant number of goods in that market. New Zealand's average import tariff is just 2.3 per cent, compared to India's 17.8 per cent. Besides, 58.3 per cent of New Zealand's tariff lines (or product categories) are duty-free, meaning Indian products already enjoy significant access without a trade pact in the New Zealand market, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said.