Page 10 - External Affairs Ministry

Iran-India share long-standing friendship, says Ambassador Iraj Elahi

Elahi asserted that Iran remains committed to protecting its national interests, ensuring security, expanding economic diplomacy, and promoting regional peace

Need to convey message delicately: Tharoor on US' treatment of deportees

The way a batch of Indians were deported from the US has naturally caused a great deal of anxiety, resentment and anger in India and New Delhi will have to "delicately" convey a message to Washington behind closed doors on this, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Monday. The MP from Thiruvananthapuram made the remarks in response to a question during an interaction at an event here on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a two-nation tour with the US being in the second leg of his visit. The interaction was hosted at the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) on the occasion of the launch of the book 'Indian Parliament: Shaping Foreign Policy' by veteran journalist and scholar K V Prasad. PM Modi, during the two-day working visit to the United States from February 12, will hold a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump and interact with business leaders and members of the Indian community. At the book launch event, after his speech as the chair of the session, Tharo

Parl panel suggests security assessment of all Indian missions, posts

A parliamentary panel has recommended that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) should conduct a "comprehensive security assessment" of all missions and posts of India taking into account the geopolitical situation, potential threats and vulnerabilities in host countries. In its report, the Committee on External Affairs has also noted that India currently lacks resident missions in 42 countries. While acknowledging the challenges involved in establishing new missions, the committee recommended "accelerating efforts to bridge these gaps, particularly in countries where India has significant economic or strategic interests or a large diaspora presence". The 'Fourth Report of the Committee on External Affairs (2024-25) on Demands for Grants (2024-25) of the Ministry of External Affairs' was presented in Parliament last week. The panel is headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The committee further said in its report that it has also "taken note of the criteria" for establishing new .

News updates: Govt making all efforts to restore peace in Manipur, says CM

Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

Number of Indian prisoners in foreign jails at present is 10,152: Govt

As per the information available with the Ministry of External Affairs, the number of Indian prisoners, including undertrials, in foreign jails at present is 10,152, the government informed Parliament on Friday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha shared country-wise data on such prisoners. The data shared under the head 'total number of Indians under trail and convicted in foreign jails at present' included for 86 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Nepal, Pakistan, the US, Sri Lanka, Spain, Russia, Israel, China, Bangladesh and Argentina. While 2,633 Indian prisoners are in jails in Saudi Arabia and 2,518 such prisoners are in jails in the UAE, as per the data shared in his response. Also, 1,317 Indian prisoners are in jails in Nepal, while the corresponding numbers in Pakistan and Sri Lanka stand at 266 and 98 respectively, according to the data. "As per the information available wit

Staff Talks: India, Israel hold 13th round, focus on improving defence ties

In 2024, the two countries held the 17th India-Israel Foreign Office Consultations, reflecting the strength of the India-Israel Strategic Partnership

IMEC, Mediterranean connect to be key focus in India-Greece ties: EAM

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met with Greece's Foreign Minister, George Gerapetritis, on Thursday to discuss ways to advance the multifaceted relationship between the two countries.The discussions focused on key areas such as shipping, trade, investment, connectivity, culture, mobility, and artificial intelligence. Jaishankar stressed that the India-Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the India-Mediterranean connect would be the major focus of the next phase of India-Greece relations.Jaishankar also assured India's "fullest support" to Greece during its non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 2025-26.In a post on X, Jaishankar said, "Delighted to meet my friend FM George Gerapetritis of Greece this evening in Delhi. Held a very productive conversation on advancing our multifaceted relations, focusing on shipping, trade & investment, connectivity, mobility, AI and cultural ties. Also discussed IMEC and India-Mediterranean ...

Jaishankar to address Rajya Sabha on deportation of Indians in 'handcuffs'

Several opposition MPs, including Congress' KC Venugopal, staged a protest outside Parliament, wearing 'handcuffs' to highlight the 'inhumane' treatment of Indian nationals

Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs set to visit India from February 6-7

Egypt's Foreign Minister will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of February 6 and later in the day, call on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan

US plane carrying 205 deported Indians to land in Amritsar in afternoon

A US military aircraft carrying around 200 illegal Indian immigrants is likely to land at the Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport here on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier, the aircraft was expected to land in the morning. So far, details of those on the plane are not available. According to reports, the US military plane C-17 is carrying 205 illegal immigrants hailing from Punjab and neighbouring states. Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday that the state government would receive the immigrants and set up counters at the airport. Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the US government's decision and said these individuals, who contributed to that country's economy, should have been granted permanent residency instead of being deported. He said many Indians entered the US on work permits which later expired, making them illegal immigrants. The minister said he plans to meet External Affairs Min

Budget 2025: Maldives gets more aid from India, but what about Bangladesh?

Union Budget 2025: India's foreign aid drops to Rs 5,483 crore in Budget 2025; Maldives sees a hike to Rs 600 crore, Afghanistan's aid doubles, while Myanmar faces a cut amid ongoing internal turmoil

MEA rejects Canadian Commission's insinuations on interference in elections

India on Tuesday night strongly rejected "insinuations" made against it in a report by a Canadian commission that investigated allegations that certain foreign governments were meddling into Canada's elections. In a strong reaction, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it rejects the report's "insinuations" on India. It is in fact Canada which has been "consistently interfering" in India's internal affairs, it said. "We have seen a report about alleged activities on purported interference. It is in fact Canada which has been consistently interfering in India's internal affairs," the MEA said. "This has also created an environment for illegal migration and organised criminal activities," it said in a statement. "We reject the report's insinuations on India and expect that the support system enabling illegal migration will not be further countenanced," it added. The government of India was suspected of using proxy agents to provide "clandestine financial support" to candidat

China flags handling differences, maintaining ties in talks with Misri

China said it stressed on properly handling differences, and promotion of India-China relations on a stable track in the just concluded talks with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri while highlighting decisions to resume Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and direct flights. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri who arrived here on Sunday for a two-day visit held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Sun Weidong on Monday to stabilise and rebuild relations stalled for over four years due to the military standoff at Eastern Ladakh. Misri was the former Ambassador to Beijing, while Sun was the former envoy to Delhi. The External Affairs Ministry issued a press release on Monday stating that the two sides reviewed the state of India-China bilateral relations comprehensively and agreed to take certain people-centric steps to stabilise and rebuild ties. In its readout in Mandarin issued on early Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the dialogue focussed on promoting the implementation of the important .

India-UAE ties to deepen as world navigates complicated phase: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the collaboration between India and the UAE on the international stage is set to deepen further as the world navigates a "complicated' and 'volatile' phase with the changing global order. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar embarked on a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to further enhance India's comprehensive strategic partnership with the influential Gulf nation. Speaking at an event organised to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India's Republic Day in Abu Dhabi, Jaishankar said, "The world has entered a complicated and volatile phase because the global order is changing for real. These are occasions when new opportunities arise, and true friendships are forged." "As we contemplate the global scenario, there is much that draws our two nations together. I can confidently assert that our collaboration on international platforms will only get stronger," he asserted. The minister underlined that the number of Indians

India, Indonesia to boost defence, trade ties, jointly counter terrorism

India and Indonesia on Saturday agreed to give a new momentum to the overall bilateral ties and especially concurred on working jointly in the areas of defence manufacturing and supply chains, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for wide-ranging talks. Subianto, on a three-day visit to India, will be the chief guest at the Republic-Day celebrations at Kartavya Path on Sunday. In his media statement following the talks, Modi described Indonesia as an "important partner" of India in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc as well as in the Indo-Pacific, noting that both countries are committed to a rules-based order in the region. "We agree that the freedom of navigation should be ensured in line with international law," Modi said amid growing global concerns over China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific region. "We held extensive discussions on various aspects of our bilateral ties," the prime minister said, adding that India and ...

Keeping a close watch on neighbours: India as ISI officials visit B'desh

Against the backdrop of an increase in engagement between Bangladeshi and Pakistani military officials, India on Friday said it keeps a close watch on developments in the neighbourhood having a bearing on national security and takes "appropriate" action if required. Pakistani spy agency ISI's Director General of Analysis Maj Gen Shahid Amir Afsar and certain other officials are currently visiting Bangladesh, according to reports. The visit to Dhaka by the Pakistani military officials came after a delegation of Bangladeshi military officials toured Pakistan and held meetings with the three service chiefs. "We keep an eye on all activities around the country and in the region, as well as all activities affecting national security, and the government will take appropriate steps," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a question at his weekly media briefing. He said India's approach towards Bangladesh has been to maintain friendly ties. "We support

Attack on Indian consulate in San Francisco a 'serious matter': Jaishankar

The arson attack on our consulate in San Francisco is a very, very serious matter, and it is something for which we expect accountability, he said

We didn't stop trading, concerned about MFN status: EAM on Pakistan ties

He also reiterated India's longstanding concern regarding the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status, which India had extended to Pakistan but which Pakistan didn't reciprocate

Jaishankar holds bilateral meetings with counterparts from Japan, Australia

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday held meetings with his counterparts from Australia and Japan here during which they discussed bilateral issues and those pertaining to QUAD. An initiative of the Donald Trump administration in its first term, QUAD comprises Australia, India, Japan and the United States. The outgoing Joe Biden administration elevated it to the leadership level. A QUAD ministerial is expected to be the first order of business in terms of international meetings of Marco Rubio once he is confirmed by the US Congress and sworn in as the Secretary of State, which is reflective of the importance given to this grouping by the second term of the Trump administration. "Delighted to meet FM @SenatorWong, a Quad colleague, in Washington DC today. As always, enjoyed our discussion on the state of the world," Jaishankar posted on X after meeting Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. "Good to meet with FM Takeshi Iwaya of Japan. Reviewed the progress in our ...

India, US sign agreement for cooperation in cybercrime investigations

India and the US have inked an agreement to enhance cooperation in cybercrime investigations, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The signing of the pact comes days before the Biden administration hands over charge to the Trump administration. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Washington DC on Friday by Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra and Acting US Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristie Canegallo, the MEA said. It said the agreement allows the respective agencies of the two countries to step up the level of cooperation and training with respect to the use of cyber threat intelligence and digital forensics in criminal investigations. From India, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Home Ministry is responsible for the execution of the MoU. On the US side, the DHS and its constituent agencies US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center are tasked with implementing the