Page 16 - Ministry Of External Affairs

PM Modi to attend Mauritius' National Day celebrations as guest of honour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honour at Mauritius' National Day celebrations next month, his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam has announced, calling it a testimony of the close bilateral ties. Addressing the National Assembly on Friday, Mauritian Prime Minister Ramgoolam said it is indeed a singular privilege for our country to host such a distinguished personality despite his very tight schedule. Mauritius commemorates its National Day on March 12th every year. The day marks the anniversary of Mauritius's independence from British rule in 1968. "In the context of the celebrations of the 57th anniversary of the Independence of our country, I have great pleasure in informing the House, that following my invitation, His Excellency, Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has kindly agreed to be the guest of honour for our National Day celebrations," Ramgoolam said. He also mentioned Modi's recent visits to Paris and the United States to highlight the Ind

EU Commission prez, top Europe leadership to visit India from Feb 27-28

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen accompanied by the College of Commissioners will visit India next week, during which she is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the EU delegation said here on Friday. "The unprecedented visit, one of the first by the College of Commissioners early in the new mandate, highlights the strong momentum in EU-India relations," the Delegation of the European Union to India said in a statement. On February 27 and 28, President von der Leyen will visit New Delhi accompanied by the College of Commissioners, it said. "It follows President von der Leyen's announcement of a new strategic agenda with India to be presented this year at the EU-India Summit. The visit emphasises the importance of strengthening ties in key areas vital to the prosperity and security of both Europe and India," the statement said. During the visit, the College of Commissioners and the Indian government will hold a plenary ...

"Deeply troubling": MEA reacts to Trump's claim on $21 million USAID funding

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded on Friday (February 21) to US President Donald Trump's remarks regarding the "$21 million allocation to India for voter turnout".

'Deeply concerning': MEA reacts to Trump's claim on $21 mn USAID funding

Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter, said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Donald Trump's remarks regarding the '$21 million allocation to India for voter turnout'

President Murmu greets Qatar's Amir, recalls deep ties between two nations

To honour the Amir, President Murmu also hosted a banquet, attended by key dignitaries including the Vice President, Prime Minister, and a high-level delegation from Qatar

PM Modi, Amir of Qatar condemn terrorism, agree to cooperate in fighting it

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani on Tuesday unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, as the two leaders agreed to cooperate in combatting the menace through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms. In a joint statement issued hours after the two leaders held talks here, India and Qatar emphasised the "importance of dialogue, diplomacy for a peaceful resolution of international disputes". The Amir's two-day state visit "reaffirmed the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Qatar. The leaders expressed optimism that this renewed partnership would continue to grow, benefitting the people of both countries and contributing to regional and global stability". "The two leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism and agreed to cooperate in combatting this menace through bilateral and multilateral

India, Qatar exchange agreement on establishment of strategic partnership

India and Qatar on Tuesday exchanged an agreement on establishment of strategic partnership between the two countries. The documents were exchanged in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani here. The Amir of Qatar arrived here on Monday evening on a two-day state visit. The MEA earlier said his visit will provide "further momentum to our growing multifaceted partnership". Prime Minister Modi and the Amir of Qatar also held talks at the Hyderabad House covering a range of bilateral issues. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar exchanged the agreement. A revised agreement for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, between India and Qatar, was also exchanged, it was announced during the ceremony held at the Hyderabad House. Prime Minister of Qatar and Finance

Jaishankar meets ex-UK PM Sunak, deputy foreign minster of Italy in Delhi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Italy's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Tripodi here and discussed the strategic partnership between the two countries and the ongoing efforts to further build on them. In a separate post on X, the EAM also said that he met former prime minister of UK Rishi Sunak in Delhi on Monday. "Nice to meet former UK PM @RishiSunak in Delhi today. Appreciate his constant support for strengthening India-UK relations," he posted. The Union minister also shared some photographs of their meeting. "Received Deputy FM @tripodimaria of Italy in Delhi this afternoon. Good conversation on India-Italy strategic partnership and the ongoing efforts to further build on them," he posted on X. Diplomatic relations between India and Italy were established in 1947. "The two countries enjoy strong people-to-people connect propelled by a large Indian diaspora and long standing Indological Studies tradition in Italy. In 2023, both countries celebrate

Row over Sikh immigrants deported without turbans, SGPC condemns US

SGPC member Gurcharan Singh Grewal condemned the incident, labelling the deportation of Sikhs without turbans as a serious affront to their religious identity

PM Modi, Trump meet reaffirms strength of US-India partnership: USISPF

USISPF noted that PM Modi is the fourth world leader that Trump met in his first month in office, which showcases the importance and heft of the bilateral relationship

Jaishankar meets Ukrainian counterpart on sidelines of Munich Conference

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday met his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference and discussed the resolution of the Ukraine conflict. "Good to meet FM Andrii Sybiha of Ukraine on the sidelines of #MSC2025 today (Friday). Discussed ongoing efforts towards the resolution of the Ukraine conflict. Also spoke about further advancement of our bilateral cooperation," Jaishankar said on X. The minister, who is here to attend the Munich Security Conference 2025, met several world leaders and joined Norway PM Jonas Gahr Store, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski in a panel discussion on 'Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience' at the event. "Highlighted India as a democracy that delivers. Differed with the prevailing political pessimism. Spoke my mind on foreign interference," Jaishankar said in another post on X. Jaishankar also participated in Ananta Aspen Centre's 'Coming

A test for Indian diplomacy: Chidambaram on 2nd round of deportees from US

Earlier, Chidambaram had alleged that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) 'crumbled badly' in handling the deportation of Indian nationals from the United States.

Asia-Pacific example of peace, not arena for geopolitical games: China

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun criticised the move from US President Donald Trump's administration paving the way to provide India with F35 stealth fighters

Planes with deportees landing in Amritsar: Bid to defame Punjab, asks CM

I strictly oppose this and demand to the MEA and the MHA that the plane is still onboard, change the route and make it land in Delhi, Hindon or Ahmedabad, Bhagwant Mann said

EAM Jaishankar, Germany's defence min discuss bilateral ties, Ukraine war

The 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) is being held in Germany's Munich from February 14-16

Jaishankar calls India a 'democracy that delivers' at Munich Conference

EAM Jaishankar noted that India has stayed true to the democratic model despite the challenges it has faced

India, France hold talks on disarmament, non-proliferation in Paris

The two sides discussed developments in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation relating to the nuclear, chemical, biological domains, as well as outer space security, MEA said

PM Modi arrives in Delhi after concluding 'successful' visit to France, US

During his visit, PM Modi co-chaired AI summit in France and in the US, he also met Donald Trump - the first meeting of the two leaders after Donald Trump assumed charge as the 47th US President

Govt reaffirms stance against third-party mediation in China border row

India has virtually ruled out any role for a third party in its border dispute with China after US President Donald Trump suggested that he was ready to extend support if it helps in the resolution of the lingering issue between the two neighbours. At a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Thursday (Friday IST) that New Delhi has always adopted a bilateral approach in dealing with these issues. As a matter of long-held policy, India has been maintaining that there is no role for any third party in any of its bilateral issues or disputes with any country. "Your question about the offer to mediate between India and China, I think, I suspect you know the answer to this question," he said when asked about Trump's offer. "Whatever issues we have with any of our neighbours, we have always adopted a bilateral approach to dealing with these issues. It's no different between India and China," he said. "We have been discussing any issues that we have with them on a bilater

India, US to sign 10 yr defence framework, review arms transfer regulations

Once this agreement is in place it will ensure that both countries can easily purchase defence goods and services from one another, promoting efficiency in procurement processes