Page 5 - International Relations

EAM Jaishankar, Israeli counterpart discuss ongoing situation in West Asia

During the telephonic conversation, the two leaders talked about India's views, assessments and interests in that regard. S Jaishankar and Israel Katz agreed to remain in touch

China accuses US of 'exaggerating threat in space' to boost forces

Wang Wenbin's remarks came after the US Space Force released an assessment report, which claimed that Russia and China are designing and testing counter-space weapons

Pakistan alleges 'Indian agents' killed 2 citizens, claims to have evidence

Pakistan on Thursday claimed that it had credible evidence of links between what it called as "Indian agents" and the assassination of two Pakistani terrorists associated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba in Sialkot and Rawalkot last year. India was carrying out extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings inside Pakistan, Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi alleged at a press conference here. Shahid Latif, a key aide of terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar and the mastermind of the 2016 attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, was gunned down in a mosque in Sialkot in Punjab province on October 11, 2023. On September 8, 2023, Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim, affiliated with the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit, who was one of the main conspirators behind the Dhangri terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on January 1, 2023 was shot dead by unidentified gunmen inside the Al-Qudus mosque during pre-dawn prayers in the Rawalakot

Ram temple inauguration indicative of growing majoritarianism in India: Pak

Pakistan on Monday said the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is indicative of growing majoritarianism in India. The remarks by Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) came after the new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on Monday in an event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Developments of the last 31 years, leading to today's consecration ceremony, are indicative of growing majoritarianism in India. These constitute an important facet of the ongoing efforts for social, economic and political marginalisation of the Indian Muslims, the FO said in a statement. In 2019, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark verdict paving the way for the construction of Ram Mandir. The five-judge Constitution bench also directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya to build a mosque. The rising tide of Hindutva' ideology in India poses a serious threat to religious harmony and regional peace, according to the FO. Pakistan also asked the ...

Pakistan, Iran restore bilateral ties by agreeing to reinstate ambassadors

Pakistan and Iran have "mutually agreed" to reinstate their ambassadors in each other's country, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday, restoring bilateral ties downgraded following last week's tit-for-tat attacks on each other's territory. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian will also visit the country on January 29 at the invitation of cash-strapped Pakistan's Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, the FO said in a statement. Tensions escalated between Islamabad and Tehran after Pakistan conducted "precision military strikes" against what it called "terrorist hideouts" in Iran's Siestan-Balochistan province that killed 9 people in the wee hours on Thursday. The attack was seen as retaliation to Iranian missile and drone attacks last Tuesday on two bases of the Sunni Baloch militant group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan's unruly Balochistan province. Following the telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, it has been .

Jaishankar meets Maldivian counterpart, discusses withdrawal of military

Both ministers held discussions on the margins of the 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

Maldives' pro-India oppn MDP secures landslide victory in Male Mayoral poll

In a setback to Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, pro-India opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on Saturday secured a landslide victory in the capital Male's Mayoral election. The MDP candidate, Adam Azim, has been elected as the new mayor of Male, a post held by Muizzu till recently. Muizzu resigned from the position to contest the presidential elections last year. The Maldives media reported Azim's win as a landslide and victory by a large margin. The MDP is headed by pro-India former president Mohammad Solih, who was defeated by Muizzu, a pro-China leader, in the presidential elections. With 41 boxes counted, Azim has taken a huge lead with 5,303 votes. His rival Aishath Azima Shakoor of Muizzu's People's National Congress (PNC) got 3,301 votes, Maldives' Sun Online news portal reported. The poll was marked by a low turnout, according to reports. The Mayoral election victory is expected to revive the political fortunes of the MDP, which still holds a majority in the .

Firmly oppose interference in Maldives: China as Muizzu winds up visit

China on Thursday said that it "firmly opposes external interference" in the internal affairs of the Maldives and supports the island nation in upholding its sovereignty and independence as Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu concluded his maiden visit here. "The two sides agree to continue firmly supporting each other in safeguarding their respective core interests," a joint statement issued at the end of Muizzu's talks with Chinese leaders said. "China firmly supports the Maldives in upholding its national sovereignty, independence and national dignity, respects and supports the Maldives' exploration of a development path that suits its national conditions, and firmly opposes external interference in the internal affairs of the Maldives," it said. The statement comes at a time when Maldives headed by Muizzu, who is regarded as a pro-Beijing leader, was involved in a diplomatic row with India over derogatory statements made by three Maldivian ministers against Prime Minister Narendr

Pakistan rules out dialogue with banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

Pakistan on Thursday said that it was not interested in a dialogue with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after a leading cleric visited Kabul and talked of dialogue following his meeting with the Afghan Taliban leadership. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in her weekly press briefing said that Pakistan's stance was clear because the TTP had accepted responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in the country. The spokesperson said there is no change in Pakistan's policy towards the TTP. "We have no dialogue taking place with the TTP nor do we have the intent to hold talks with it which is responsible for several terror incidents in Pakistan," she said. She once again demanded the Afghan authorities take effective action against terrorist elements including the TTP leadership. She said the Afghan authorities should ensure the elimination of terrorist hideouts and hand over to Islamabad those responsible for terror incidents in Pakistan. "Our demand from t

Afghanistan can become part of int'l community if it meets obligations: US

The resolution shows that the UNSC supports a "process by which Afghanistan is integrated into the international community only by meeting its international obligations," Miller said

Nepal's 2023: High-level meetings with Indian, Chinese leaderships & quakes

After experiencing a turbulent 2022, Nepal witnessed much-needed political stability this year that enabled Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda' to focus on improving relations with its two important neighbours India and China even as he faced the regular staple of Himalayan problems - earthquakes, corruption scandals, and air crashes. After becoming Prime Minister in December 2022, Prachanda secured the vote of confidence from the House of Representatives on January 10 ending the political impasse amid a power tussle among Nepali political parties with the third largest party CPN-Maoist Centre gaining power and garnering support from the largest party Nepali Congress. However, Nepal's second-largest party in Parliament, the CPN-UML, on February 27 withdrew its support to the Prachanda-led government following a rift over backing the main opposition party's candidate for the presidential poll. It has had no significant impact on the government. On March 9, Nepal's Parliame

Will establish sister city relationship between Janakpur, Ayodhya: Nepal

Nepalese Ambassador to India Shankar Prasad Sharma on Friday said that Nepal and India are working to establish a sister city relationship between Janakpur and Ayodhya.He further said the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi was glad to receive Janakpur Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah and other dignitaries to participate in a program organized by the Chamber of India."Gald to receive Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah and other dignitaries from Janakpur Dham at @EONIndia. They were here to participate in a program organized by the Incredible Chamber of India. & are also working to establish sister city relationships between Janakpur and Ayodya," the Nepalese Ambassador wrote on 'X'.Recently, the Embassy of India in Nepal, in collaboration with Lumbini Development Trust and Lumbini Buddhist University, organised the inaugural India-Nepal Cultural Festival in Lumbini."The festival showcased the rich cultural heritage and traditions of India and Nepal, with a focus on Buddhism. The festival featured a Sand ...

EAM Jaishankar visits Kuwaiti mission, condoles demise of Emir Nawaf

India will always remember the contributions of Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in strengthening India-Kuwait ties, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday on the demise of the Kuwaiti ruler. Jaishankar visited the Kuwaiti embassy in Delhi this morning and paid his respects to the departed leader. "Visited the Embassy of Kuwait in Delhi today morning to express condolences and pay my respects on the passing away of His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of the State of Kuwait," he said on X. "The Government and people of India will always remember his notable contributions to the strengthening of our ties," he said. Emir Jaber Al-Sabah, who played a key role in boosting India-Kuwait relations, died at the age of 86 on Saturday. India observed a "state mourning" on Sunday as a mark of respect for the departed leader. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday travelled to Kuwait as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's special envoy

He is main guarantor of steady Russia-India ties: Putin praises PM Modi

Russian President Vladimir Putin has lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his tough stance on defending India's national interests without being "intimidated" by any pressure and said the policy pursued by him is the "main guarantor" of the progressively developing bilateral ties. Putin's comments came at the "Russia Calling!" forum. The Russian leader said he "cannot imagine that Modi could be frightened, intimidated or forced to take any actions, steps, decisions that would be at variance with the national interests of India and the Indian people". He said relations between Russia and India are developing in all areas. Putin, who on Friday announced his intention to run for the presidency again in 2024, said he can feel pressure on Modi from unfriendly countries. Putin disclosed that he and Modi never even discussed this subject, the Russian News Agency TASS reported. "I just look at what is happening from the outside, and sometimes, frankly speaking, I am even .

US Senators criticise India on allegations of plot to kill separatist Sikh

A bipartisan group of influential American Senators has criticised India after US prosecutors linked an Indian official to a man charged with conspiring to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York. The Senators were speaking at a Congressional hearing Transnational Repression: A Global Threat to Rights and Security' organised on Wednesday by the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Committee, said: We've seen disturbing allegations against an Indian government official for involvement in planning to assassinate a US citizen in New York, who was critical of the Indian government. This follows allegations of India's involvement in the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader. Earlier this year, the Modi government had labelled both critics as terrorists. The hearing was organised with China in the focus, but India popped up several times, mainly because of the allegations from Canada and the US regarding the theme. US federal prosecutors o

Henry Kissinger: An era-defining failure

Nobody who handed the Chinese Communist Party a century of dominance can possibly be remembered as a strategic genius

US, India play down Sikh murder plot with wider Asia strategy at risk

The US sees India as key to its strategy of countering China's growing assertiveness in Asia, one of its top global priorities

India needs to work with us: Trudeau after US indictment of Indian national

Trudeau said, "The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we've been talking about from the very beginning: which is India needs to take this seriously

World much more than Europe: Lavrov echoes Jaishankar on global order

He quoted Jaishankar's remarks that the "world is much more than Europe" and the "world is much more than the West"

Jaishankar pitches for international relations with Indian characteristics

Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on Saturday batted for shaping international relations with Indian characteristics, stressing the need for devoting more time to look at India's reservoir of culture and knowledge. He was speaking in Pune during the International Relations Conference on India's Strategic Culture: Addressing Global and Regional Challenges', organised by an educational institute. The question I have is to develop an Indian strategic culture; if we are to create international relations with Indian characteristics, is it not necessary that we actually devote more time, attention, and energies to look at our reservoir of culture, knowledge, history and traditions, he asked. The minister, who had a long diplomatic career, buttressed the point, citing his interaction with his American peers about Afghanistan years ago. I found that even after 20 years of being in Afghanistan, so much of the American understanding about that country was moulded by what was the .