Page 5 - Foreign Affairs

'He's an idiot': Why this ex-Canadian minister says so about Justin Trudeau

Ujjal Dosanjh, a Canadian Sikh who served as a federal Cabinet minister under former Canadian PM Paul Martin, reportedly blames Justin Trudeau for exacerbating the Khalistan movement issue in Canada

Fed up with Pakistan, China may take matters into its own hands. Here's how

Chinese workers in Pakistan have been targeted by terrorist attacks twice within six months, prompting Beijing to raise security concerns at the highest diplomatic levels, but to little avail

Pakistan responds to China after a public scolding: What is going on?

Pakistan and China's 'higher than the mountains and deeper than the ocean' relationship appears to be under strain, with tense public exchanges underscoring Beijing's growing concerns

'Unacceptable for China': Beijing publicly slams Pakistan. Here's why

Ensuring the safety and security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan under CPEC is reportedly costing Islamabad millions of dollars

'China pushing Indo-Pacific into new missile age': Why Australia is worried

In late September, China conducted its first known ICBM test in 44 years, launching a missile that could reportedly be capable of reaching the US mainland into the Pacific Ocean

Brics must avoid being an anti-West group as it grows, says PM Modi

Comments underscore PM Modi's challenge in trying to balance ties with Russia, which India relies on for cheap oil, and US, which is providing access to cutting-edge technology for manufacturing

Taiwan again rejects South African demand to move its representative office

Taiwan has again rejected South Africa's demand that it move its representative office in the country from the capital, Pretoria, to the commercial center of Johannesburg. Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said at a news conference on Tuesday that the demand to move or shut the office entirely violated a 1997 agreement between the sides on the location of their mutual representative offices following the severing of formal diplomatic relations. Facing this kind of unreasonable demand, our side cannot grant our acceptance, Liu said. South Africa maintains a liaison office in Taiwan's capital, Taipei, and the sides have a strong commercial relationship. Liu repeated Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung's avowal at the legislature on Monday that Taiwan was prepared for all eventualities over the issue. The office is Taiwanese property and Taipei retains the right to determine its location and status, Lin and Liu said. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory that must be

Israeli strike on Iran 'now a matter of time' as IDF locks in targets

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to limit his country's response to Iran's October 1 missile attacks on Israel

'Turn to war at any time': What's behind China's Taiwan blockade drills?

China has also deployed its Liaoning aircraft carrier as part of its Joint Sword-2024B blockade drills around Taiwan, initiated during the early hours of Monday

Summit an opportunity to discuss challenges to peace in East Asia: PM Modi

PM Modi said that he looks forward to his meetings with Laos leadership to further strengthen bilateral ties and expressed confidence that the visit will further deepen engagement with Asean countries

Indians in Israel count on PM Modi to take lead, end Israel-Hamas War

Tensions in West Asia escalated further on Tuesday as Israel reported that Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets and missiles targeting civilians in the greater Haifa region

Once seen as saviour, China is costing Pak millions of dollars. Here's how

China has reportedly demanded that Pakistan sign an agreement on anti-terrorism cooperation to address Beijing's security concerns

What will Iran do if Israel responds to missile attack? Here's what we know

Israel was initially contemplating an attack on Iran's nuclear or oil facilities as retaliation for Tuesday's missile salvo, which involved nearly 200 ballistic missiles

Biden says Israel has right to hit Iran back, but sets one big condition

US President Joe Biden has affirmed Israel's right to retaliate to Tuesday's Iranian missile attack, while the Israeli Cabinet has delayed its response in a bid to coordinate with Washington

PM Modi calls for ceasefire in West Asia, release of hostages, dialogue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a ceasefire in West Asia, the release of hostages and a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy as he stressed that only a two-state solution will deliver enduring peace and stability in the volatile region. Modi expressed deep concern at the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza and the deteriorating security situation in the region during his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the margins of the Summit of the Future here on Monday. He reaffirmed India's unwavering support to the people of Palestine, including continued humanitarian assistance, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. Prime Minister Modi "reiterated India's time-tested principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue, and called for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy," it said. He stressed that only a two-state solution will deliver enduring peace and stability in the region. Recallin

Orban's charge of EU presidency raises questions about Hungary's stance

The European Union traditionally ends its summer slumber in the dying days of August with an informal meeting of its foreign affairs ministers in a political equivalent of a fireside chat. But with Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Hungary holding the presidency of the 27-nation bloc, vacation has already been turned into one long firebrand's shout. Since July 1, and right up to year's end, the EU's arcane rules allow Hungary, a nation of 9.5 million, to represent and often speak for the bloc of 450 million. The problem is that Orban increasingly stands for everything the EU opposes. The first two months of the half-year rotating presidency has already turned into troll diplomacy, said Peter Kreko of the Center for European Policy Analysis. Orban "just wants to provoke more anger from the leaders of the European Union, he said. When Russian President Vladimir Putin is the EU's archenemy because of his war in Ukraine, Orban travels to Moscow and hobnobs with the autocratic leader. When .

PM Narendra Modi arrives in Ukraine on historic visit to war-torn country

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived in Ukraine on a historic visit to the war-torn country during which he is expected to share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict with the Ukrainian leader. Modi is visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. His visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow which triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies. This is the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991. "I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," Modi had said before leaving Delhi. "As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region." The prime minister travelled to Kyiv from Poland in a 'Rail Force One' train that took aro

India-US destined to be strong partners, Rajnath Singh tells Indians in US

Rajnath further elaborated on India's economic progress in last 10 years, emphasising that India has brought 250 mn people out of poverty and is poised to become world's third-largest economy by 2027

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to go on four-day visit to US from Aug 23

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay a four-day visit to the US beginning Friday to further boost the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two countries. In Washington, Singh will hold talks with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan among others. India's plan to procure 31 MQ-9B Predator drones, the proposed joint manufacturing of Stryker infantry combat vehicles and co-production of GE F414 engines in India are likely to figure prominently in Singh's talks with Austin, officials said Tuesday. "The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership," the defence ministry said announcing Singh's trip to the US from August 23 to 26. "The visit comes in the backdrop of the growing momentum in India-US relations and defence engagements at multiple levels," it said. Singh will also chair a high-level roundtable meeting with the US defence industry on the ongoing and future ..

Putin meets Azerbaijani Prez to strengthen ties amid ongoing tensions

Russian leader Vladimir Putin held talks on Monday with his Azerbaijani counterpart as part of a two-day trip to secure Moscow's under-pressure trade routes and shore up ties in the South Caucasus. Business links were high on the agenda as Putin and President Ilham Aliyev met in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, with Aliyev announcing that USD 120 million had been earmarked to boost cargo transport between the two countries. We're talking about the possibility of transporting 15 million tons of cargo per year or more, he said, adding that the two countries crossed the USD 4 billion mark for Russia-Azerbaijan turnover last year and "neither of us think that is where things will stop, Such ties are a priority for Putin, who increasingly depends on countries such as Azerbaijan to access global markets because of sanctions imposed on Moscow over Russia's war on Ukraine, said independent political scientist Zardusht Alizade. Azerbaijan is an important transit country for Russia at a time