Page 9 - External Affairs Ministry

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

India's High Commission in London hosts film screening, celebrates cinema

The screening, attended by over 250 guests, including members of the Indian diaspora and a diverse international audience, highlighted India's growing prominence in Indian cinema

Trump administration to convene Quad foreign ministers meeting on Jan 21

The foreign ministers of QUAD countries Australia, India, Japan and the US will meet in here on January 21, a day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th US President, making it one of the first foreign policy acts of the new administration, a media report said Friday. Trump will be sworn in for a second term on Monday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya would be representing their respective countries at the presidential inauguration. The QUAD ministerial meeting is intended to signal that the US commitment to the Indo-Pacific won't change under the new administration, Politico reported, quoting a person familiar with the matter. This is expected to be the first major interaction and meeting of the new administration with foreign leaders. Marco Rubio is expected to be confirmed by Congress as the new US Secretary of State by then and is likely to be sworn in on Monday evening. Thi

Indian national sentenced to 8 yrs for attempt to attack White House

Indian national Sai Varshith Kandula, 20, on Thursday was sentenced to eight years for an attempted attack on the White House with a rented truck on May 22, 2023. The attack aimed to overthrow the democratically elected American government in order to replace it with a dictatorship fuelled by Nazi ideology, the Department of Justice said. Kandula had pleaded guilty on May 13, 2024 to a charge of willful injury or depredation of US property. Born in Chandanagar, India, he was a was a lawful permanent resident of the US with a green card. In addition to the prison term, District Court Judge Dabney L Friedrich ordered Kandula to serve three years of supervised release. The Indian national flew on a commercial flight from St Louis, Missouri, to Washington D.C. on the afternoon of May 22, 2023, connecting through another airport on a one-way airline ticket, according to court documents, and arrived at Dulles International Airport about 5:20 pm, wherein he rented a truck at 6:30 pm. He .

PM Modi to attend AI Action Summit in France on Feb 10-11: French Prez

During a press briefing about the summit, the French Presidency announced that 90 countries, including India, had been invited to participate for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit

MoS Margherita to visit Philippines, Palau, Micronesia from Jan 14-21

According to the MEA, this visit is expected to strengthen India's partnership with the Philippines, Palau, and FSM, aligning with India's Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision

EAM stresses on importance of diaspora as India builds 'global workforce'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday stressed on the importance of the diaspora as India strives to build a "global workforce". Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention here, Jaishankar said that in times of difficulty abroad, they can be confident that the Narendra Modi government "has got your back". "We are proud of the achievements of our Indian diaspora," he said. "In a globalised era, the diaspora has become more important with each passing year, whether it is technology, best practices or resources, be it tourism, trade or investment, the two-way flow is invaluable as we strive to build a global workforce," Jaishankar said. The minister said the role of the diaspora is immense as they act as the bridge between India and the countries where they live. He said the people-centric changes that the Modi government is promoting are also benefitting the diaspora. "This could enhance the ease of doing business, promote ease of living a

EAM Jaishankar meets Mauritius delegation on PBD sidelines

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said he jointly met the PBD delegation from Mauritius and appreciated their sentiments in celebration of their roots

It will be a great Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: EAM after reaching Bhubaneshwar

Jaishankar was seen arriving at the bedecked airport with his wife Kyoko Jaishankar, and appreciated the arrangements