Page 3 - International Relations

Xi Jinping meets Antony Blinken, seeks US-China partnership over rivalry

Xi Jinping noted some progress since his meeting with US President Joe Biden, but stressed on continued efforts and addressing outstanding concerns

US blacklists 4 Chinese tech companies for helping China's military

The four companies were allegedly supplying artificial intelligence chips for China's military modernisation programmes

'Precarious' situation in Myanmar: India relocates staff from consulate

India on Friday said it relocated its staff from its consulate in Myanmarese city of Sittwe to Yangon in view of the precarious security situation in that region of Myanmar. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is closely monitoring the situation in Myanmar, adding the Indian consulate in Mandalay remains functional. Asked about reports of kidnapping of three Indian youths, he said the Indian embassy is working on the matter and hoped that they would be back home soon. Several parts of Myanmar have been witnessing intense fighting between the military junta and resistance forces. The resistance forces have already captured several towns. The anti-junta forces seized control of several military bases and a command centre at Myawaddy last week. Jaiswal said the security situation in Myanmar remains "precarious" and is deteriorating. "We are closely monitoring the security situation in Myanmar, particularly in the Rakhine State. Necessary steps have been

Canada removes dozens of Indian staff from diplomatic missions in India

Last year, India had expelled 41 Canadian diplomats to ensure diplomatic parity, prompting Canada to close its Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Bengaluru consulates for in-person operations

Red Sea crisis: India's responsibility to look at such situations, says EAM

Jaishankar stated that it is the responsibility of India to look at such situations in the neighbourhood and how to tackle them in cooperation with other nations

India, Russia are looking after each other's interests: EAM Jaishankar

Russia is a country with which India has always had a positive relationship and both countries have taken extra care to look after each other's interests, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday, as he dismissed the notion that Moscow is drifting towards China. Interacting with the Indian community in Singapore, Jaishankar said India should look at its relationship with Russia or any other country from its perspective. "So, tell me has Russia helped us or harmed us? Has Russia at crucial moments contributed or obstructed? Going ahead, are there gains to be made from Russia or is it only damages which will come out?" he asked. So, if I do my calculations from my perspective and my experiences, I will get the answer. And the answer in this case is that Russia is a country with which we have always had a positive relationship, he said. "Both India and Russia have taken that extra care to look after each other's interests. So, I think we should have that confidence as we

'Operation Indravati' to evacuate stranded Indians in Haiti launched

Taking to his official X handle, Jaishankar posted, "12 Indians evacuated today. Fully committed to the security and well-being of our nationals abroad."

India criticises model for UNSC reform presented by Uniting for Consensus

India has criticised a model for the UN Security Council presented by the Uniting for Consensus group that includes Pakistan, saying it stands against the idea supported by a majority of member states to expand permanent and non-permanent seats and underscored that the world of the 21st century "desperately needs a UN 2.0". The UfC comprises Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, San Marino, Spain, and Turkiye. China, a permanent member, and Indonesia are participating in the group as Observers. The UfC group is opposed to the creation of new permanent members in the Security Council. The UfC model entails a Security Council with 26 seats, with an increase only in the non-permanent, elected members. It proposes creating 9 new long-term seats with immediate re-election possibilities. Threats to international peace and security have become more complex, unpredictable and undefined. The world of the twenty-first century desperate

NSA highlights importance of strategic partnerships in regional security

Doval delivered the keynote address to the 29 international delegates from 21 countries and 8 Indian officers and underscored the importance of strategic partnerships in regional security

Bhutan's journey success due to India's friendship, support: PM Tobgay

Bhutan has come a long way in its journey of balancing economic growth with environment protection and preservation of culture, and this journey has been by-and-large successful, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said on Saturday. During his address at the India Conclave - 2024 in New Delhi, he said the journey has been successful due to the "friendship, goodwill and unconditional support of the government and the people of India". Tobgay emphasised on the metric of Gross National Happiness that his country introduced to measure prosperity and said nations and its people will have to imagine a more sustainable future in the 21st century. Bhutan has tried to balance its economic growth with social progress, cultural preservation, environment protection and good governance, he said. "Our kings have come a long way, Bhutan has come a long way, we have come a long way. And this journey, by-and-large, has been successful. And, I dare say, it has been successful due to the friendship, goodw

Jurisdiction not a concern of 'external parties': Maldives Prez Muizzu

Asserting that Maldives is not a small nation, President Mohamed Muizzu has said that the steps taken by his government to ensure the Indian Ocean island nation's security on its own should not concern any "external parties". The pro-China Maldivian leader's comments came days after the first batch of Indian military personnel operating a helicopter gifted by India left the island nation after Muizzu stepped up his anti-India rhetoric. Muizzu had asked India to withdraw nearly 90 military personnel from the island nation soon after he assumed office in November last year. India has agreed to replace the military personnel with civilians and continue the operations of two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft provided to the country for humanitarian and medical evacuation services. Muizzu's latest comments came while while speaking at a ceremony to launch the Maldives National Defence Force's (MNDF) Air Corps and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), a press release by the President's Office

Bhutan PM Tobgay arrives in India for 1st overseas visit after election

He was received at the airport by Union Minister of State for Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ashwini Choubey

Foreign Secy Vinay Mohan Kwatra's service tenure extended by six months

The government on Tuesday granted a six-month extension in service tenure of Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who was scheduled to retire at the end of next month, according to an official order. The decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kwatra, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, took charge as the foreign secretary on April 30, 2022. According to the order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in service of Shri Vinay Mohan Kwatra (IFS:1988) as Foreign Secretary for a period of six months beyond 30.04.2024 i.e. up to 31.10.2024 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, in public interest, in terms of provisions of FR 56 (d)." Under the Fundamental Rule (FR) 56 (d), the government can give extension in service to the defence secretary, foreign secretary, home secretary, Intelligence Bureau director, RAW chief,

Prez Murmu gifts RuPay to Mauritian counterpart; bilateral ties discussed

President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Mauritius on Monday on a three-day state visit during which she would be the chief guest at the country's National Day celebrations on Tuesday. President Murmu was received by Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth on her arrival here. She will also hold talks with the country's top leadership during the visit to further consolidate India's relations with the Indian Ocean island nation. "President Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn arrives in Mauritius on a 3-day State Visit," the Ministry of External Affairs posted on X. "In a special gesture reflecting the exceptionally close ties between &, PM @KumarJugnauth welcomed President Murmu at the airport with full state honours," it said. A contingent of the Indian Navy will also participate in the celebrations along with two ships -- INS Tir and CGS Sarathi. Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi said President Murmu will hold bilateral meetings with her ..

'Singapore will do everything to extend help to those affected in Gaza'

Singapore's Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said on Saturday that his country would do whatever best possible to extend help to those affected in Gaza amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Speaking at Soka Kindergarten in Tampines on the east coast of the prosperous city-state, where volunteers had gathered to pack supplies for children in Gaza, Shanmugam said that the continued efforts to those affected in Gaza showed who exactly Singapore is as a society, the Channel News Asia reported. "The continued efforts to raise funds and send aid to Gaza are a demonstration of who we are as a society, coming together across different religious groups to try and help," said Shanmugam. Interfaith non-profit group Humanity Matters organised the event, ahead of a possible ceasefire in Gaza. The group aimed to assemble 5,000 comfort packs, each comprising a backpack, an inflatable pillow, vitamin gummies, snack treats, a water bottle, a stress ball and a stuffed toy, according to the .

Pakistan's PM Sharif thanks PM Modi for felicitating him on his re-election

Pakistan's newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday thanked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for felicitating him on his re-election. Sharif, 72, took the oath as prime minister of Pakistan on Monday, assuming the cash-strapped country's reins for a second time, nearly a month after an inconclusive election marred by allegations of vote rigging. "Thank you @narendramodi for felicitations on my election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sharif said in a post on X. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Shehbaz on taking oath as the 24th prime minister of Pakistan. "Congratulations to @CMShehbaz on being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan," Modi posted on X. In his victory speech in the National Assembly soon after he was elected as the 24th prime minister and for a second time since 2022, Sharif said his government would not allow the country to become part of some "great game" and would maintain cordial relations with neighbours based on the ...

India, Japan partners in world headed towards re-globalisation: EAM

India and Japan are natural partners in a world headed towards "re-globalisation", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, asserting that the two nations also share basic affinities, being democracies and market economies. Jaishankar is in Tokyo for the second leg of his four-day visit to South Korea and Japan. Addressing the first Raisina Roundtable here, the minister said, "The world is heading for re-globalisation with the building of resilient and reliable supply chains and trusted and transparent digital transactions." Jaishankar said the "top 20 or 30 nations today are not what they were two decades ago. Even less so what they were four or eight decades ago.." "Not only are the countries that impact us different but so are relative weight, importance and capability. As a result, new balances are being sought and occasionally achieved," he said. "This drives the volatility that we currently characterise as the global order," he said. Talking about the changi

India deeply troubled by conflict in Gaza, says Amb Kamboj at UN meet

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador, Ruchira Kamboj, said this while addressing a UN General Assembly meeting on the 'Use of Veto' on Monday

Mixed signals from Pakistan

India can afford to bide its time in normalising relations

China wants to deepen strategic ties with Pak during Sharif's new tenure

As Shehbaz Sharif took the oath as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for a second time on Monday, China said it hopes to deepen its "all-weather" strategic ties and upgrade the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. China warmly congratulates Shehbaz Sharif on being elected as Pakistan's Prime Minister, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here. On Sunday, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang sent congratulatory messages to Sharif soon after his election. China highly appreciates Prime Minister Sharif's positive statements on China-Pakistan relations and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Mao said. We stand ready to work with Pakistan to carry forward our traditional friendship, advance exchanges and cooperation across the board, upgrade the CPEC, and deepen China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, she said. In his victory speech yesterday, Shehbaz Sharif vowed to further promote the CPEC projects