Page 16 - External Affairs Ministry

India will have more contacts with Ukraine & Russia: EAM Jaishankar

India will have more contacts with Ukraine and Russia going forward as such engagements by countries talking to both sides are important to resolve their conflict, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday, days after it emerged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit Kyiv next month. Jaishankar said India's position has been that a solution to the conflict will not emerge from the battlefield, and cautioned that it could be "fatalistic" to allow the situation to take its course and wait for events in some other parts of the world to provide some help to end the crisis. "We do believe that we should be more active there," he said during an interactive session at Japan National Press Club. Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to Japan. "I can reasonably expect that there will be more contacts between us and Ukraine and between us and Russia as well," he said, replying to a question on reports of Modi's likely visit to Kyiv next month. Declining to give a specific answ

EAM Jaishankar discusses cooperation, issue of trafficking with Laos PM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday called on Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and raised the issue of trafficking of Indian nationals through cyber scam centres in the Southeast Asian country and discussed development partnership and cooperation in areas like defence and energy. Jaishankar is in the capital of the Laos People's Democratic Republic to participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He called on Siphandone along with fellow foreign ministers attending the meeting. "Pleased to call on Lao PDR (People's Democratic Republic) Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. Conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister @narendramodi. Discussed our development partnership and cooperation in defence, heritage conservation, energy, digital and capacity building," Jaishankar said in a post on X. Jaishankar said he values Siphandone's guidance on further strengthening close bilateral ties that are deeply rooted in shared civilisation

EAM S Jaishankar discusses bilateral ties with Turkey counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday held a meeting with his Turkiye counterpart Hakan Fidan during which the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global issues. Jaishankar is in the capital of the Laos People's Democratic Republic to participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two leaders met on the sidelines of the meetings. "Met with FM @HakanFidan of Turkiye on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Vientiane. Discussed our bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global issues," Jaishankar posted on X. Jaishankar on Friday met leaders from Russia, the European Union, South Korea, Singapore, Laos, Brunei, and New Zealand and discussed various aspects of bilateral collaboration. "Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of India Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met on the sidelines of #ASEAN events Vientiane, July 26, 2024 #RussiaIndia #DruzhbaDosti," the Russian ...

Foreign Secy Misri co-chairs talks with Bhutan counterpart, reviews ties

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his Bhutanese counterpart, Aum Pema Choden, reviewed the implementation modalities and cooperation in diverse areas of development partnership under the 13th Five-Year Plan period on Saturday.Misri co-chaired the third Development Cooperation Talks of the 13th Five-Year Plan in Bhutan."Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri & Foreign Secretary Aum Pema Choden co-chaired 3rd Development Cooperation Talks of the 13th Five Year Plan. Reviewed implementation modalities & cooperation in diverse areas of development partnership under 13 FYP period," the Indian Embassy in Bhutan said on X.Further, the two sides expressed satisfaction with several development projects implemented under the 12 FYP."The two sides expressed satisfaction at large number of development projects implemented under 12 FYP in sectors such as connectivity, infrastructure, cultural heritage, health, education, agriculture, sports, skilling, and digital economy," the post ...

EAM Jaishankar, Ukrainian counterpart discuss developing bilateral ties

In June this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy

US ambassador describes ties with India as 'multiplicative relationship'

US ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, on Friday described the ties between the two countries as "multiplicative" and said the world's largest and the oldest democracies are moving forward because they "love each other". Stating that in his 16-17 months as the US ambassador to India, he has visited 23 states and Union territories and stitched together the marvellous view of a country that is rising in the world and of an economy that is the strongest in the developing world. Speaking at an education meet here, Garcetti described the India-United States relations as a "multiplicative" relationship. "It's a relationship not of addition... it's not India plus the United States when India and the US are together, it's a multiplicative relationship," he said. Garcetti said that India and the US are moving forward together because "we love each other." Lauding India's leadership in organising the G20 summit in 2023, he said the two countries are working together on climate change, women

Jaishankar arrives in Mauritius on 2 day visit, set to meet top leadership

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday arrived here for a two-day visit for productive engagements with the leadership of Mauritius to take forward the special bilateral ties. The visit to the Indian Ocean island nation marks one of the first bilateral engagements undertaken by Jaishankar following his re-appointment in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government. The visit underscores the importance of the India-Mauritius relationship and is a reflection of India's Neighbourhood First Policy', Vision SAGAR, and commitment to the Global South. He was received at the airport by Maneesh Gobin, Mauritius' Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade. Namaste Mauritius! Thank Foreign Minister @ManeeshGobin for the warm welcome, Jaishankar posted on X along with the photographs. Look forward to productive engagements to take forward this special relationship, he added. Gobin reciprocated his post and said Jaishankar's visit ...

Jaishankar's meeting with Thai counterpart strengthened bilateral ties: MEA

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa have reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation in areas of trade, connectivity and investment. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said this on Sunday, two days after the two foreign ministers held talks on the sidelines of a meeting of the BIMSTEC grouping. "The two ministers reviewed progress across various areas of partnership covering political exchanges, defence and security ties, trade and investment opportunities, connectivity, science and technology collaboration, health cooperation, culture and people-to-people interaction," the MEA said. A key member of the 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) grouping, Thailand is seen by India as a crucial strategic partner in the Southeast Asian region. "The two ministers also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest and reiterated commitment to closer cooperation in sub-regional, regional and multilateral fora," it said. On

EAM Jaishankar discusses 'intensifying engagement' with Thai counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held talks with his Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa during which the two sides discussed on their "intensifying engagement" covering a range of domains, including political, defence and security, trade and investment, and tourism. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional matters, India-ASEAN, Indo-Pacific and cooperation in the UN. The bilateral discussion between the two leaders came a day after Jaishankar hosted his counterparts from the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) member countries at a two-day retreat that began Thursday in the national capital. The external affairs minister had on Thursday held separate meetings with his counterparts from Bangladesh and Bhutan, focusing on ways to boost bilateral ties in diverse areas. On Friday, he held talks with Thai Foreign Minister Sangiampongsa. Jaishankar shared pictures from this meeting in a post on X. "Delighted

Officials from Quad countries review progress made since May 2023 summit

Senior officials from Quad member countries have reviewed the progress made by various Quad Working Groups in achieving the commitments made at the grouping's summit in May 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. The officials, who met through video conference on Wednesday, also discussed new ideas to further the grouping's collaboration in delivering public good in the Indo-Pacific region in areas such as health security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, climate resilience, and countering terrorism, the ministry said in a statement. Senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade of Australia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Department of State of the US met to review the progress made by various Quad Working Groups in achieving the commitments made at the May 2023 Quad Leaders' Summit, it said. "They also discussed new ideas to further the Quad's collaboration in delivering public .

Isolate, expose countries that harbour terrorists: India at SCO summit

India on Thursday asked the international community to "isolate and expose" those countries that harbour terrorists, provide safe havens and condone terrorism, saying that if left unchecked, terrorism can become a major threat to regional and global peace, in a veiled jibe at China and Pakistan. Delivering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State Summit in the Kazakhstan capital Astana, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was physically present at the meeting, recalled that one of the original goals of the SCO is to combat terrorism. "Many of us have had our experiences, often originating beyond our borders. Let us be clear that if left unchecked, it can become a major threat to regional and global peace. Terrorism in any form or manifestation cannot be justified or condoned," he told the summit, which was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and and Russian ...

6th cyber dialogue: India, UK agree to deepen ties, build robust cyberspace

India and the United Kingdom have agreed to deepen cooperation between their cyber agencies in order to build a safe and robust cyberspace, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. The Sixth Cyber Dialogue between the two sides was held here on Wednesday. "Discussions during the dialogue included cyber-threat assessment, internet governance, data protection, protection of critical infrastructure, capacity building and cooperation in multilateral fora, including the latest developments in the cyber realm at the United Nations," according to a statement issued by the MEA. "Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation between their respective cyber agencies in order to build a safe and robust cyberspace," the statement said. The dialogue was co-chaired by Amit A Shukla, Joint Secretary, Cyber Diplomacy Division, MEA, and Kat Jones, Head of Strategy and Engagement, Cyber Policy Department, The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK. The Indian delegat

Climate change India's prominent concern, says Jaishankar at SCO summit

Climate change is a prominent concern before the world today and India is working towards achieving committed reduction in emissions and building climate-resilient infrastructure, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday. Jaishankar was delivering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here in the Kazakh capital. Delivered India's statement at the Summit of SCO Council of Heads of States on behalf of PM Shri @narendramodi ji. Thank the leaders present for conveying their best wishes to Prime Minister @narendramodi on his re-election for a third successive term, Jaishankar posted on X along with photos. We are working towards achieving a committed reduction in emissions, including transition to alternate fuels, adoption of electric vehicles, and building climate-resilient infrastructure, he said. In this context, during India's SCO presidency, a Joint Statement on emerging fuels, and a Concept Paper on ...

Pak PM raises terrorism concern, urges global engagement with Taliban

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday raised the issue of terrorism as a major concern for member states at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and called for meaningful engagement with the Afghan Taliban government. Shahbaz, who arrived in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana on Wednesday for a two-day official visit, represented Pakistan at the SCO meeting where leaders and diplomats from countries including China, India, Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan have gathered to discuss economic and security cooperation. The prime minister, during his address, emphasised the importance of maintaining peace in the region as a precondition for economic development, Dawn News reported. Achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan is a lynchpin to this common objective, he said, adding that the international community "meaningfully engage with the Afghan government to meet their genuine economic and development needs. Sharif also said the Afghan Taliban must also take concrete measures to

EAM Jaishankar meets Belarusian counterpart, welcomes Belarus to SCO bloc

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met his Belarusian counterpart Maksim Ryzhenkov here and discussed the bilateral relationship and its future growth potential. Jaishankar, who is here to represent India at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and carrying out various bilateral meetings on the sidelines, also welcomed the eastern European country as the newest member to the SCO bloc. Pleased to meet FM Maksim Ryzhenkov of Belarus today. Welcome Belarus to the SCO as its newest member. Discussed our bilateral relationship and its future growth potential, Jaishankar posted on the social media platform X along with the photos of the meeting. The meeting of the two Foreign Ministers came days after the first-ever India-Belarus Consular Dialogue that was held on June 28 in Minsk. The Indian delegation was led by Dr Aman Puri, JS (CPV), while the Belarusian delegation was led by Andrei Kozhan, Head of General Directorate for Consular Affairs, Minis

S Jaishankar raises safety of Indians in meeting with Russian counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday raised the issue of Indian nationals in the war zone and pressed for their safe return during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov here. Jaishankar arrived here on Tuesday to represent India at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Good to meet Russian FM Sergey Lavrov in Astana today. Wide ranging conversation on our bilateral partnership and contemporary issues. Noted the progress in many areas since our last meeting in December 2023, Jaishankar posted on X. The meeting between the two foreign ministers happened days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned visit to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Raised our strong concern on Indian nationals who are currently in the war zone. Pressed for their safe and expeditious return, he added in his post, which also had photos from the meeting. The External Affairs Minister also discussed the global strategic landscape and

Pakistan holds 'good' meeting with Afghan Taliban amid strained ties

Pakistani diplomats held a "good" meeting with the representatives of Afghanistan's Taliban-led interim government in Qatar this week during which they discussed bilateral and regional issues, in what was seen as an effort to ease tension and mend strained ties between the two neighbours. The Afghan Taliban delegation, which was in Qatar's capital of Doha to attend a UN-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan this week, was hosted over a dinner by the Pakistani mission in Qatar on the sidelines of the conference, the Dawn newspaper reported Tuesday. Zabihullah Mujahid, chief Taliban government spokesman who headed the delegation to Doha, described his meeting with Pakistani diplomats as "good" and expressed the hope for developing "positive relations with Pakistan, the paper said. "We had a good meeting with the special representative of Pakistan, Asif Durrani, and the ambassador and consuls of the country in Qatar, Mujahid wrote on X on Tuesday. I am grateful for their hospitality and hop

US deepening relationship with India in several key areas: Official

The US is deepening its relationship with India in several key areas, including economic and security cooperation, a senior official has said, emphasising that Washington will continue to cultivate this relationship. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks on Monday at his daily news conference in response to a question on US-India relations and the recent conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the recent G7 Summit in Italy. "India is a country in which we are deepening our relations within a number of key spaces, especially as it relates to deepening our economic ties, deepening our security cooperation," Patel told reporters. President Biden "had the opportunity to briefly see Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi in the margins of the G7 a couple of weeks ago," he added. So this is an area where we will continue to cultivate this relationship," he said. Noting that the US hosted Prime Minister Modi for a

EAM Jaishankar to visit Qatar on Jun 30, review aspects of bilateral ties

During the visit, S Jaishankar will meet the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani

India presents action plan for regional cooperation under Colombo Process

India has presented an action plan focusing on several of its priority areas for regional cooperation under the Colombo Process, a regional consultative forum comprising 12 Asian nations. India rolled out the plan while chairing a meeting of the grouping in Geneva on Friday. In the meeting, India listed a range of its priorities that included reviewing the financial sustainability of the Colombo Process and broadening the grouping's membership by including new nations as members and observers. Muktesh Pardeshi, Secretary (consular-passport-visa division) in the Ministry of External Affairs, delivered the special address at the meeting. "He emphasised India's commitment to advancing the objectives of the Colombo Process and enhancing collaboration among member states," the ministry said. "India presented an outline of an action plan for the next two years, focusing on key priorities and initiatives to further strengthen the Colombo Process," it said. In May, India assumed the cha