Page 4 - International Relations

India rules out revival of Saarc in view of one country's terrorism toolkit

Ahead of the formation of a new government in Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday ruled out any immediate possibility of revival of regional grouping SAARC in view of Islamabad's "toolkit" of using terrorism in different ways, including against other members of the bloc. In an interactive session at a think-tank, Jaishankar, without directly naming Pakistan, said the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is in trouble as one of its member nations has been relentlessly backing terrorism. "If you ask me whether I see a future for SAARC, in some ways, actually you are asking me if I see a future for that country. Because if that country does not really let go of those kinds of options in its armoury or its toolkit, then it is not just SAARC which is in danger. I mean, very frankly, you are looking at the state of that country as well," he said. To a question on whether India is perceived by its neighbours as a bully, Jaishankar countered, ...

Israel agreed to framework for Gaza ceasefire, Hamas now must decide: US

Israel has essentially endorsed a framework of a proposed Gaza cease-fire and hostage release deal, and it is now up to Hamas to agree to it, a senior U.S. administration official said Saturday. The Israelis have more or less accepted the proposal, which includes the six-week cease-fire in Gaza as well as the release by Hamas of hostages considered to be vulnerable, which includes the sick, the wounded, the elderly and women, said the official. The Israelis have basically signed on to the elements of the arrangement, the official said. Right now, the ball is in the court of Hamas and we are continuing to push this as hard as we possibly can. The official briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing cease-fire talks.

PM Modi, Mauritian PM inaugurate development projects in Mauritius

PM Modi said India has extended a credit line of $1 billion, and $400 million worth of assistance to the people of Mauritius in the last 10 years

India, Oman hold strategic dialogue; discuss trade pact, Red Sea situation

India and Oman have discussed various aspects of their strategic ties and reviewed the regional developments including the security situation in Gaza and the Red Sea at a high-level dialogue in Muscat. In the ninth India-Oman strategic dialogue, the two sides noted that discussions on signing of a comprehensive economic partnership agreement were progressing and that its early finalisation would benefit both nations. Deputy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri represented India at the dialogue on Monday, people familiar with the matter said. The strategic dialogue was held in a frank and constructive manner and both sides held discussions on various issues of regional and bilateral concern, they said. The two sides discussed the regional security situation resulting from the Gaza conflict, including in the Red Sea, the people said. There have been mounting global concerns over Houthi militants attacking various cargo vessels in the Red Sea and other strategic waterways in the re

G20 finance leaders eye regional 'conflicts' in tight draft communique

"Risks to the global economic outlook are more balanced," with faster-than-expected disinflation and more growth-friendly fiscal consolidation underpinning growth, the draft said

EAM calls for reforms of 'outdated' global structures to tackle challenges

The conflict in Gaza is of "great concern" and the humanitarian crises arising out of it require a sustainable solution that gives immediate relief to those most affected, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday while calling for reforms of "outdated" global structures to effectively address geopolitical challenges. In a virtual statement at the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Jaishankar pitched for urgently making multilateral frameworks fit to respond to current global realities by fixing systemic flaws in the current institutions. He said it would be in collective interest and responsibility to work together in the UN and outside to find lasting solutions to geopolitical challenges. "For this to happen, it is vital that we first recognise that for multilateralism to be credible, effective and responsive, it is now high time to reform outdated structures and fix systemic flaws, and urgently make multilateral frameworks fit for the

India, Greece agree to firm up migration & mobility agreement soon

India and Greece on Wednesday agreed to work towards co-production and co-development of military hardware and decided to firm up a mobility and migration pact as soon as possible with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his visiting Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis holding extensive talks to impart "new energy" to the bilateral ties. Modi said the two sides have common concerns and priorities in the fight against terrorism and there was a discussion in detail on how to further strengthen cooperation in this area. Mitsotakis is on a two-day visit to India primarily to grace the Raisina Dialogue as the chief guest. In his media statement, Modi said he and Mitsotakis discussed many regional and international issues and it was agreed that all disputes and tensions should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. India welcomes Greece's active participation and positive role in the Indo-Pacific and it is a matter of happiness that the European nation has decided to join the ...

EAM Jaishankar, French Senate chairman discuss strategic partnership

French Senate Chairman Larcher is on an official visit to India on February 19 and 20 accompanied by a delegation of five senators, the French Embassy in India said

Chairman of French Senate Gerard Larcher on two-day visit to India

Chairman of the French Senate Gerard Larcher is on a two-day visit to India beginning Monday to strengthen bilateral ties and parliamentary cooperation. Larcher is accompanied by a delegation of five other senators who are members of the Senate's foreign affairs and defence committee. This is the first official India visit of a chairman of the French Senate, the Upper House of France's Parliament. Larcher and his delegation will meet with Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar. They will discuss ways to increase cooperation and mutual understanding between the French Senate and India's Parliament, including through a dedicated agreement, the French embassy said in a readout. The chairman of the French Senate will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it said. Larcher had previously met Prime Minister Modi during the latter's visit to Paris on July 14 last year. The prime minister was received at the French Senate by Larcher and leaders of all major parliamenta

India, Taiwan sign migration agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation

India and Taiwan on Friday signed a migration and mobility agreement that will facilitate the employment of Indian workers in diverse sectors in the self-ruled island, a move that is seen as reflective of the renewed momentum in the cooperation between the two sides. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed at a virtual ceremony by Director General of the India-Taipei Association (ITA) Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav and Baushuan Ger, the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in New Delhi. In order to strengthen the bilateral labour cooperation relations, Taiwan and India have signed an MoU, Taiwan's labour ministry said. Both sides were engaged in discussions over the pact for the last several years. After all the preparatory work is completed, India will be announced as a "new source" country of migrant workers in accordance with the law, the Taiwanese labour ministry said. Taiwan's current source countries for migrant workers are Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippine

India-Qatar ties growing stronger, says PM Modi after talks with Emir

India-Qatar ties are growing "stronger and stronger" and both sides are looking at collaborating in futuristic sectors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday following his talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani that came days after the Gulf nation freed eight former Indian Navy personnel who were sentenced to death. Modi described his meeting with the Emir as "wonderful" and said ways to deepen cooperation across various sectors were discussed. "Had a wonderful meeting with HH Sheikh @TamimBinHamad. We reviewed the full range of India-Qatar relations and discussed ways to deepen cooperation across various sectors. Our nations also look forward to collaborating in futuristic sectors which will benefit our planet," Modi said on 'X". The discussions centred around bolstering bilateral relations, with a focus on deepening cooperation in areas of trade and investment, energy, space, cultural and people-to-people ties. "India and Qatar ties are growing stronger an

Govt in talks with ministers of IEA member countries for full membership

Ministers from the International Energy Agency's member countries have begun talks with India on its application to become a full member of the Paris-based agency of 31 nations, IEA said on Wednesday. In a statement issued after IEA's 2024 ministerial meeting in Paris, the agency said the talks with India are in recognition of the country's "strategic importance" in tackling global energy and climate challenges. "The Ministerial gave the IEA a strong mandate to deepen cooperation with major emerging economies. This includes starting discussions with India on its request for full IEA membership," it added. India, which joined the IEA as an associate member in 2017, sent a formal request for full membership in October 2023. "Ministers recognised the 'strategic importance' of India in tackling global energy and climate challenges," IEA said. Addressing the meeting through video conferencing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is the world's fastest-growing major economy. "Susta

Hope to work on untapped areas of cooperation: Asean SG during India visit

Maritime cooperation was one of the key focus areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) that was adopted in June 2019

PM Modi holds talks with UAE Prez to take bilateral partnership forward

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held wide-ranging talks with the UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to take forward the bilateral strategic partnership. Modi was received at the airport by Mohamed bin Zayed where they hugged each other. He was later given a guard of honour. "Immensely grateful to my brother, HH @MohamedBinZayed for taking the time to receive me at Abu Dhabi airport," Modi posted on X. "I thank you for this grand welcome of me and my team. As you said, I feel that whenever I have come here, I have always felt that I have come to my home and family," Prime Minister Modi said in his opening remarks at the bilateral meeting with the UAE President. "We have met five times in the last seven months. Today, there is a mutual partnership between India and UAE in every sector," he said. Modi, who will inaugurate the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday, said:

India will surely get UN Security Council seat but not easily: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Saturday that he was 100 per cent confident that India will get a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council but it won't be easy as there are a lot of countries who want to "block us". Jaishankar, who is here to attend the two-day Indian Ocean Conference, said he sees the change as to how differently the world looks at India now as he goes around the world. "We will get there. I am 100 per cent certain we will get there. But I will also tell you that honestly, we will not get it easily because the world is full of competition," he said in response to a question at an interaction with the Indian community here. "Some will try to block us, will make that passage difficult or put some kind of obstacles, some kind of argument in the way," he said, without naming any country. But I'm confident we will get there and I'm more confident today than I was five years ago or 10 years ago," the external affairs minister said. "As I go

Govt strongly rejects charges of interference in Canadian elections

India on Thursday strongly rejected as "baseless" allegations of its interference in Canadian elections and asserted that the core issue has been Ottawa's meddling in New Delhi's internal affairs. According to Canadian media reports, Canada's federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference is looking to examine allegations of meddling by India in the last two general elections. "We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission enquiring into ...We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The Canadian federal commission's terms of reference is primarily to examine the possible interference by China, Russia and other foreign states or non-state actors in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, the CTV News reported. "It is not the government of India's policy to interfere in democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada .

India asks its citizens in Myanmar's Rakhine state to leave immediately

India on Tuesday asked its citizens in Myanmar's Rakhine state to leave the troubled-region immediately in view of deteriorating security situation. In its first advisory following the spike in violence, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asked Indians not to travel to the Rakhine state because of the prevailing situation, including disruption in telecommunication network and scarcity of essential commodities. "In view of the deteriorating security situation, disruption of means of telecommunications, including landlines, and severe scarcity of essential commodities, all Indian citizens are advised not to travel to the Rakhine State of Myanmar," it said. "Those Indian citizens who are already in the Rakhine State are advised to leave the State immediately," the MEA said. Myanmar has been witnessing wide-spread violent protests demanding restoration of democracy since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021. The Rakhine state and many other regions have witnesse

India to share infra planning tool PM GatiShakti with neighbouring nations

India will share the PM GatiShakti initiative with some of the neighbouring countries free of cost as the infrastructure planning tool is helping in effective planning and implementation of projects, a top government official said on Tuesday. The initiative was launched to develop an integrated infrastructure to reduce logistics costs. Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Rajesh Kumar Singh said that as India has rolled out the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in seven countries, the country similarly wants to showcase and integrate the PM GatiShakti initiative also. "We want to showcase it and roll out and integrate and provide it free of cost to some of our neighbouring countries and eventually to other countries in the global south as a part of India's commitment to the global south," Singh said here at a function. Over 1,400 layers of data, including those related to land, ports, forests, and highways, are available on the PM GatiShak

Hamas studies ceasefire proposal after Israeli hospital raid in West Bank

The raid underscored the risk of the Gaza war spreading to other fronts, while Israeli forces fought new battles with Hamas fighters in the Palestinian enclave

India's greater capability, reputation warrant help in tough times: EAM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India's greater capability, its own interest and reputation today warrant that it actually help in difficult situations, in reference to the Indian Navy's deployment of warships in the Red Sea region to deal with attacks on merchant navy vessels. The Indian Navy has deployed 10 of its ships in the region, Jaishankar said responding to a question during an interaction with students at the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai. "India's greater capability, our own interest and our reputation today warrant that we actually help out in difficult situations," he said. Jaishankar said there is a problem of piracy as well as drone attacks on merchant navy ships in the Red Sea region. "We will not be considered a responsible country if bad things are happening around our neighbourhood and we say I have got nothing to do with this. When you are in trouble, the neighbourhood will say the same," he said. Jaishankar said that in the last