Page 14 - Ministry Of External Affairs

Indian students in US urged to follow local laws, says MEA after detentions

Indian students in the US should comply with American laws, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday following the detention of a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgetown university and self-deportation of another student to Canada. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the two Indians did not reach out to the Indian missions in the US for assistance. Badar Khan Suri, the postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University in Washington DC, was detained Monday night by the Department of Homeland Security on charges of "actively spreading Hamas propaganda". A US federal judge has blocked Suri's deportation from the US. The action against Suri came less than a week after Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University, self-deported to Canada after her visa was revoked for allegedly "advocating for violence and terrorism" and involvement in activities supporting Hamas. The Indian embassy and consulates in the US will help students facing any ...

388 Indians deported from US since Jan, concerns raised on treatment: Govt

India has "strongly registered" its concerns with the US authorities on the treatment meted out to deportees on a flight that landed on February 5, particularly with respect to use of shackles, especially on women, the Centre informed Parliament on Friday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha also said the "US side has conveyed" to the MEA that detainees on the three deportation flights (that landed on February 5, 15 and 16 respectively) were "not instructed to remove any religious head coverings and that the detainees did not request any religious accommodations during the flights aside from requesting for vegetarian meals". The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in its response said that it had also registered its concerns regarding the need to accommodate the religious sensitivities and food preferences of the deportees. The MEA was asked whether the government has taken cognisance of reports regarding the ..

No women or children shackled during deportation from US, says central govt

The Ministry of External Affairs stated that it had shared its concerns with US authorities over the treatment of deported Indian nationals

Gabbard's visit to India highlights strong US-India ties: US official

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's meetings in India focused on bilateral cooperation in areas of intelligence-sharing, defence, counter-terrorism, and transnational threats, an American official said. Gabbard's visit to New Delhi highlighted the decades strong US-India relationship that is bolstered by the leadership of and friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, a spokesperson at the office of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) said. She arrived in the national capital early Sunday on a two-and-a-half-day trip in the first high-level visit to India by a top official of the Donald Trump administration. Gabbard held separate meetings with Prime Minister Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. "In India, the DNI held several bilateral engagements, including with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the spokesperson said. "DNI Gabbard's meetings in India focused on ..

PM Modi's 38 foreign trips since 2022 cost nearly Rs 258 cr: Govt data

Nearly Rs 258 crore was incurred on 38 foreign visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi between May 2022 and December 2024, according to data shared by the government. Of these visits, the costliest one was the visit of the prime minister to the US in June 2023, which incurred over Rs 22 crore. Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita shared the visit-wise data in his written response to a query in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Mallikarjun Kharge asked the government the total expenditure incurred by Indian embassies on arrangements for the prime minister's foreign visits in the past three years. He also asked for visit-wise details of expenses under major heads such as hotel arrangements, community receptions, transport arrangements and other miscellaneous expenditures among others. The data on "country-wise expenditure on foreign visits by the Prime Minister, including the expenditure on official, accompanying, security and media

Reports of atrocities against minority communities in Pak: Govt in RS

There have been reports of atrocities against minority communities in Pakistan, including against the members of Hindu community, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha. The Ministry of External Affairs was asked whether the government is aware that the minority Hindu community is continuously migrating from the Sindh province "due to violence and discrimination against the Hindu community in the neighbouring country Pakistan". "There have been reports of atrocities against minority communities in Pakistan, including against the members of Hindu community. Incidents such as intimidation, abduction, persecution, forced conversions and forced marriages, which compel them to migrate, have been reported from time to time," Singh said. The minister was asked whether the government has any data on Hindus migrating from Pakistan to India. "Several members of t

National interest key in India's international oil purchases, says Centre

The Ministry of External Affairs was asked in Rajya Sabha whether 'it is a fact that the USA had asked India to stop unloading Russian oil tankers and has set a deadline for it'

B'desh approaches India for PM Modi-Yunus talks at Bimstec Bangkok Summit

Earlier in February, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Hossain on the sidelines of Indian Ocean Conference in Oman

EAM Jaishankar, Georgian FM discuss trade, investment, tourism, education

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi to discuss strengthening bilateral ties in trade, investment, tourism, and education.After the meeting, Jaishankar shared details of their discussions, highlighting areas of cooperation between the two countries."Nice to meet FM Maka Botchorishvili on the sidelines of #Raisina2025. Explored opportunities for advancing our political, trade, investment, tourism and education cooperation," Jaishankar said.In response, Botchorishvili expressed her appreciation for the meeting and India's hospitality."Great honour & privilege to meet Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar during my first visit to India. Enjoyed a productive discussion focused on our cooperation with significant potential to expand bilateral ties across various fields, including economics, education, tourism and many others," she wrote.The Georgian Foreign Minister added, "I'm ...

Counterterrorism experts from EU, India exchange best practices at workshop

Counterterrorism experts and senior representatives from the European Union and Indian security agencies and policy institutions on Wednesday gathered here to exchange best practices on prevention, de-radicalisation and rehabilitation of violent extremists. The EU convened a technical workshop on preventing and countering violent extremism on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue, according to an official statement. Opened by EU Ambassador to India Herv Delphin, the workshop was organised in cooperation with the Embassy of the Netherlands. "The event brought together counterterrorism experts and senior representatives from EU and Indian security agencies and policy institutions, to exchange best practices on prevention, de-radicalisation, and rehabilitation of violent extremists," said the statement issued by the Delegation of the European Union to India. The EU delegation included security practitioners from European Union institutions, EU Member States including Belgium, Bulgaria

'India believes in inclusive, just order', says MoS Pabitra Margherita

Highlighting India's commitment to the LAC region, he mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Guayana recently and attending the India-CARICOM summit

Kashmir invasion was made into dispute: Jaishankar demands strong, fair UN

In his remarks at Raisina Dialogue 2025, termed sovereignty and territorial integrity the "bedrock of global rules," and highlighted the need for an international order

India, EU discuss bilateral ties, parliamentary exchanges, global issues

During EU President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to India in February, both parties directed their teams to conclude Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations by the end of the year

PM Modi helped persuade Putin against using nuclear weapon: Polish minister

Bartoszewski stated that Putin had "threatened" to use tactical nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, but calls from India and China influenced his decision to reconsider

India seeks to strengthen its defence cooperation with Five Eyes

New Delhi has some form of pact with four of the grouping's members

Parliamentary panels' reports on defence, external affairs tabled in House

The MoD ranked second after the MoF in terms of budgetary allocations for 2025-26, while the MEA ranked 22nd

PM Modi raises concerns with New Zealand PM over pro-Khalistani activities

India and New Zealand on Monday inked an ambitious pact to institutionalise defence ties and vowed to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged concerns to his Kiwi counterpart Christopher Luxon over certain pro-Khalistani elements indulging in anti-India activities in the island nation. Following talks between Modi and Luxon, the two sides signed six agreements to ramp up cooperation in several areas including education, sports, agriculture and climate change, and decided to prepare a roadmap for cooperation in the defence industry sector. Both prime ministers welcomed the launch of negotiations for a "balanced, ambitious, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial" free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries to achieve deeper economic integration. Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Jaideep Mazumdar indicated that the two countries will try to seal the FTA by the end of this year. In his media statement, Modi said Ind

Current MEA budget not reflective of India's growing stature: Parl panel

A parliamentary panel has said the current budget allocation to the MEA "does not adequately support" India's foreign policy priorities and international stature, and called for a substantial increase in it to ensure India can meet its diplomatic and development objectives effectively and assert its growing influence on the world stage. The allocation in the budget estimates (BE) 2025-26, at Rs 20,516.61 crores, represents a 7.39 per cent reduction from BE 2024-25 and an 18.83 per cent decrease compared to the revised estimates (RE) for 2024-25, it said. The 'Fifth Report of the Committee on External Affairs (2024-25) on Demands for Grants (2025-26)' of the panel, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was presented in Parliament on Monday. "Upon a detailed examination of the budgetary allocation of the Ministry of External Affairs for the fiscal year 2025-26, the Committee observe with dismay that despite India's growing global profile and expanding diplomatic and development ...

PM Modi to begin Raisina Dialogue today; New Zealand PM to be chief guest

Nearly 3,700 attendees and over 800 speakers and delegates from around 130 countries worldwide will attend the Raisina Dialogue

Highlights: PM Modi to visit Sri Lanka next month to finalise bilateral deals

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