Page 6 - Foreign Affairs

'Grim forecast for next 5 years': S Jaishankar on current global challenges

EAM S Jaishankar acknowledged that, despite his generally optimistic outlook, the world is currently facing an exceptionally challenging period

Balance with big powers important: Bangladesh foreign affairs advisor

Hossain said on Friday that it was important for Bangladesh to have good relations with all countries

Vietnam proposes five key focus areas in defence cooperation with India

India and Vietnam have held a key defence meeting here during which it was proposed to have cooperation in emerging areas such as cyber security, information security, military medicine and submarine search and rescue, officials said on Friday. The 14th India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue took place in New Delhi on Thursday. It was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Deputy Minister of National Defence of Vietnam Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, they said. "During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the range of bilateral defence cooperation issues and noted the transformative progress in the ties after the signing of the 'Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030' in June 2022 during the visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Vietnam," the defence ministry said in a statement. After the meeting, the defence secretary and the deputy minister of national defence of Vietnam signed a Letter of Intent to strengthen ...

'Avoid Manipur, J&K, border areas': US revises travel advisory for India

The US has asked its nationals not to travel to Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, the India-Pakistan border, and parts of central and eastern parts of the country where Naxalites are active. In a revised travel advisory for India, the State Department said it has updated to reflect information on the northeastern states. "Exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism. Some areas have increased risk, it said. Overall India has been placed at Level 2. But several parts of the country have been placed on Level 4: Jammu and Kashmir, India-Pak border, Manipur and parts of Central and East India. "Do not travel to: The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest; within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border due to the potential for armed conflict; portions of Central and East India due to terrorism and Manipur due to violence and crime, said the State Department. In addition, it recommended Americ

Bangladesh calm amid curfew after top court scrapped some job quotas

No violence or protests reported on Monday morning and media said curfew would be relaxed for 3 hours in afternoon, extended from 2 hours previous day, so that people could buy essentials

Political mafia' spreading lies about counter-terrorism operation: Pak Army

The Pakistan Army on Monday said that an organised political mafia was spreading misinformation about a planned new counter-terrorism operation, Azm-e-Istehkam', aimed to flush out militants and foster economic growth and stability. Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi talked about various pressing issues, including the launch of the operation. A massive illegal, political mafia rose to sabotage the operation and the first move of that mafia was to make the operations controversial through false and fake arguments, he said. Referring to Pakistan's earlier major military operations, Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, which resulted in large-scale displacements, a reporter inquired if similar displacements would occur during the current operation, Azm-e-Istehkam. This is not a military operation but a comprehensive counter-terrorism initiative aimed at fostering economic growth and stability," he said. He referred to the .

India agrees to consider providing Rs 1,500 cr economic stimulus to Bhutan

India has agreed to positively consider providing Rs 1,500 crore to Bhutan as part of the Economic Stimulus Programme in the next 18 months, the two governments said on Saturday at the end of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's visit and his wide-ranging talks with the Himalayan nation's leadership. Misri, who was on his first foreign visit within days of his taking charge last week, reviewed the implementation modalities and cooperation in diverse areas of the India-Bhutan development partnership with his Bhutanese counterpart Aum Pema Choden. The joint press release highlighted the exemplary partnership characterised by trust, goodwill and mutual understanding at all levels, strong bonds of friendship and close people-to-people contacts and said, the two sides held wide-ranging discussions on all aspects of bilateral cooperation. The issues covered under the bilateral cooperation include development partnership, energy, trade and investment, connectivity and trade infrastructure, ...

India seeks to boost exports to Russia after PM Modi's Moscow trip

Surging Russian exports to India accounted for $61.43 billion of the $65.7 billion in trade between the two countries in the last fiscal year that ended in March

'Upset' Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina cuts short her China visit: Report

China reportedly promised Dhaka $5 billion in loan assistance ahead of the visit. The eventual outcome of deal amounted to $100 mn

India, Sri Lanka plan roadmap to train 1,500 officers from island nation

A roadmap is being discussed for a collaboration between the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and Sri Lanka's Institute of Development Administration to train 1,500 administrative officers of the island nation in India, according to an official statement issued on Thursday. A high-level Indian delegation, led by NCGG Director General and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) Secretary V Srinivas, visited Sri Lanka from July 7-9. According to an statement issued on Thursday by the Personnel Ministry, the visit was marked by productive deliberations and strategic meetings, and paved the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation and capacity building support for senior public officials of Sri Lanka. "The two sides discussed the roadmap for collaboration between the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration for capacity building programs for 1,500 Sri Lanka Administrative Service Officers in India

PM Modi receives ceremonial Guard of Honour in Vienna, signs guestbook

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that it was the first bilateral visit of Prime Minister Modi to Austria

Russia hails PM Modi's visit to Moscow, calls it 'historic, game-changing'

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Moscow was watched by the whole world and it was evident how significant the trip was, he said, a day after Modi and Putin held summit talks

Russia bombards Ukraine: Dozens killed, Kyiv children's hospital hit

Russian missiles killed at least seven people and struck a children's hospital in the Ukarinian capital, Kyiv, Monday, while another attack in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih killed at least 10. The Russian barrage targeted five Ukrainian cities with more than 40 missiles of different types, hitting apartment buildings and public infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post. At least 20 people were killed and around 50 people were injured across the country in the Monday morning onslaught, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. In Kryvyi Rih, 31 people were injured in addition to the 10 deaths in what the head of city administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, said was a massive missile attack. Explosions were also reported by local officials in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region. At the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, rescuers were searching for people under the rubble of a partially collapsed wing of the facility, Zelenskyy said, .

Japan, Philippines sign defense pact in face of shared alarm over China

Japan and the Philippines signed a key defence pact on Monday allowing the deployment of Japanese forces for joint drills in the Southeast Asian nation that came under brutal Japanese occupation in World War II but is now building an alliance with Tokyo as both face an increasingly assertive China. The Reciprocal Access Agreement, which similarly allows Filipino forces to enter Japan for joint combat training, was signed by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in a Manila ceremony witnessed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It would take effect after ratification by the countries' legislatures, Philippine and Japanese officials said. Kamikawa called the signing a groundbreaking achievement" that should further boost defence cooperation between the countries. The Japanese and Philippine officials expressed serious concern over the dangerous and escalatory actions by China in Second Thomas Shoal, the scene of a recent confrontation

India likely to get coking coal from Mongolia on Trial basis in July

The supplies would come to India via Chinese ports, but Indian authorities do not think New Delhi should entirely rely on China for steady supplies of coking coal from Mongolia, the sources said

Four Indian students drown in Russia, one rescued: What we know so far

The Consulate General of India in St Petersburg informed that they are working together with the local authorities of Veliky Novgorod city to send the mortal remains to the relatives

Maldives prez alleges Solih operated on orders from 'foreign ambassador'

Ahead of the parliamentary elections, the main opposition, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has scaled up the attacks on Muizzu on various issues

Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba to visit India on Thursday: MEA

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba is slated to arrive here on Thursday for a two-day official visit during which he will have meetings with his Indian counterpart and others to discuss matters related to the bilateral relationship. His visit comes at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. During his visit, Kuleba will have "a number of engagements, including official meetings with External Affairs Minister and Deputy NSA to discuss matters pertaining to the bilateral partnership and cooperation on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the statement said. He is also expected to interact with the business community. Kuleba's visit comes amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 20 had held separate conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and asserted that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward

The global multilateral system is facing a 'logjam': EAM S Jaishankar

A lot of our challenges today emanate today from how countries have used that for their benefit at the expense of the international system, EAM S Jaishankar said

China establishes diplomatic ties with Nauru after it cuts ties with Taiwan

China's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Beijing has formally restored diplomatic relations with Nauru after the tiny Pacific island nation cut its ties with Taiwan earlier this month. Nauru's announcement on Jan. 15 came just two days after Taiwan elected a new president and left the self-governing island republic with just 12 remaining diplomatic allies, although it enjoys strong unofficial relations with the United States, Japan and other nations. China claims Taiwan as its territory and doesn't recognize its government or its right to diplomatic recognition, participation in global bodies such as the United Nations or any official contact with foreign political entities. This policy change is a significant first step in moving forward with Nauru's development, Nauru's government said in a news release announcing the severing of relations with Taiwan. China has been gradually poaching Taiwan's diplomatic allies, partly to punish the ruling Democratic Progressive Party that .