Page 22 - Ministry Of External Affairs

MEA welcomes Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel, Hamas

India on Thursday welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. The announcement on the deal comes after 15 months of conflict in Gaza. In its reaction, India hoped that the agreement will lead to a safe and sustained supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. "We welcome the announcement of the agreement for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "We have consistently called for release of all hostages, ceasefire, and return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy," it said.

Singapore President T Shanmugaratnam arrives on 5-day India visit

President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam arrived here on Tuesday night on a five-day visit that aims to further boost bilateral ties in a range of areas. Shanmugaratnam, accompanied by a high-level delegation, was received at the airport by Union Minister Jitin Prasada. It is his first visit to India as the Singapore president. "A special celebration of 60th anniversary of #IndiaSingapore diplomatic relations. President @Tharman_S of Singapore arrives in New Delhi on a State Visit," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 'X'. On Thursday, Tharman will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In the evening, he will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu following which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet him. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Tharman's visit is expected to provide further momentum to the bilateral relations. "President Tharman's visit is expected to provide further momentum to bilateral relatio

Jaishankar expresses confidence in continued growth of US-India relations

EAM emphasised the robust development across various aspects of bilateral ties between the US and India

US-India is one of the greatest relationships: US ambassador Eric Garcetti

Garcetti, who was visibly nostalgic, said that the relationship of the US with India was one of the greatest relationships they have ever known

Singapore prez Tharman Shanmugaratnam to begin India visit on Tuesday

President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be on a five-day visit to India beginning Tuesday with an aim to give new momentum to the ties between the two countries. It will be Shanmugaratnam's first visit to India as Singapore president. Shanmugaratnam will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu, who will also host a banquet in his honour, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in statement, announcing the visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with the Singaporean president. "The President of the Republic of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam will pay a State visit to India from January 14-18. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, members of parliament and officials," the MEA said. Shanmugaratnam will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 16. He will also visit Odisha from January 17-18. "India and Singapore have extensive cooperation based on a long tradition of friendship,

Indonesian President Subianto set to grace R-Day parade as chief guest

History beckons as Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto attends India's Republic Day function as chief guest amid growing ties between the two countries in a shifting global landscape

PM Modi to attend AI Action Summit in France on Feb 10-11: French Prez

During a press briefing about the summit, the French Presidency announced that 90 countries, including India, had been invited to participate for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit

MoS Margherita to visit Philippines, Palau, Micronesia from Jan 14-21

According to the MEA, this visit is expected to strengthen India's partnership with the Philippines, Palau, and FSM, aligning with India's Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision

Germany trying to stem illegal migration, protect liberal stance: Ackermann

Germany is trying to reduce the illegal migration while protecting its very liberal immigration policy at the same time, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann has said. He made the remarks during an interview with former Indian Diplomat Vijay Gokhale at Pune Public Policy Festival, on the topic - 'Trump's world: How the rest will deal with political change in the United States.' Responding to a question related to Germany being bearing the brunt of immigration, Ackermann said the core of the country's internal politics is migrational. "You have to imagine that 30 per cent of the German population has one non-German parent and 20 per cent of the German population (German nationals) have two non-German parents. "Basically, our country has turned in the last 20 -25 years to a complete immigration country, therefore saying that closing the door is absurd because we have lived from migration and from migration," he said. He claimed that Germany has the most liberal immigration l

Om Birla chairs CSPOC committee meet as India to host conference next year

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday made a strong pitch for the use of artificial intelligence and social media in the working of parliaments. Birla made these remarks while chairing the standing committee meeting of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments of Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC) in Guernsey. India is hosting the 28th CSPOC next year. Birla said India is witnessing massive transformation in several sectors, such as agriculture, fintech, AI, and research and innovation. He said delegates attending the CSPOC would experience a unique blend of heritage and progress of the country. Last year, the Lok Sabha adopted artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to enhance the accessibility of parliamentary proceedings to lawmakers. These cutting-edge technologies are used to provide regional language translations for Members of Parliament and make available parliamentary papers in different languages. Birla highlighted the impo

EAM Jaishankar calls Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event 'highly successful'

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday described the three-day 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas being held here as highly successful. Speaking about the event, Jaishankar, who arrived here on January 8 to oversee preparations, said, "The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is going very well. Shortly, President Droupadi Murmu will arrive for the valedictory session. I believe this has been a highly successful event." The minister appreciated the cultural programmes held during the event, saying Thursday's performance beautifully highlighted the connection between India and its diaspora. "Everyone must have seen Thursday's cultural programme, which beautifully showcased the bond between India and its diaspora," he added. Jaishankar also met students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University during the event. In a post on X, he wrote, "Pleased to meet young scholars from Harvard and MIT on an India familiarization tour today on the sidelines of ...

Indian-origin Canadian MP Chandra Arya announces bid to become next PM

Known as a long-time loyalist of Justin Trudeau, Arya's announcement came two days after Trudeau resigned amid growing discontent within the Liberal Party

EAM stresses on importance of diaspora as India builds 'global workforce'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday stressed on the importance of the diaspora as India strives to build a "global workforce". Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention here, Jaishankar said that in times of difficulty abroad, they can be confident that the Narendra Modi government "has got your back". "We are proud of the achievements of our Indian diaspora," he said. "In a globalised era, the diaspora has become more important with each passing year, whether it is technology, best practices or resources, be it tourism, trade or investment, the two-way flow is invaluable as we strive to build a global workforce," Jaishankar said. The minister said the role of the diaspora is immense as they act as the bridge between India and the countries where they live. He said the people-centric changes that the Modi government is promoting are also benefitting the diaspora. "This could enhance the ease of doing business, promote ease of living a

In first high level engagement with Taliban, foreign secy meets Afghan FM

In the meeting, India's foreign sceretary Vikram Misri underlined India's historic friendship with the Afghan people and the strong people to people contacts between the two countries

Rajnath Singh to meet Maldivian counterpart for high-level defence talks

The visit included high-level discussions and the signing of key agreements to advance development cooperation, marking a significant step in strengthening the bilateral ties between the two nations

It will be a great Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: EAM after reaching Bhubaneshwar

Jaishankar was seen arriving at the bedecked airport with his wife Kyoko Jaishankar, and appreciated the arrangements

For extradition, offender gets protections: Ex-official on Hasina's arrest

ICT issued an arrest warrant against Hasina and 10 others, including her former Defence Adviser Major General (retired) Tarique Ahmed Siddique and former IGP Benazir Ahmed

Bangladesh releases 95 Indian fishermen in reciprocal repatriation

Bangladesh on Sunday handed over to India 95 Indian fishermen while New Delhi released 90 Bangladeshi fishermen. The process of reciprocal repatriation of fishermen in each other's custody came amid frosty ties between the two countries. The decision to release the fishermen was announced by New Delhi and Dhaka on Thursday. The exchange of the fishermen was coordinated by the Indian Coast Guard and the Bangladesh Coast Guard. The Bangladeshi side handed over 95 fishermen and four fishing vessels to the Indian Coast Guard, according to an official statement. The Indian Coast Guard released 90 Bangladeshi fishermen including 12 rescued from sunken fishing boat "Kaushik", it said. "Idian fishermen are being handed over to West Bengal State fisheries authorities at South 24 Parganas post repatriation from Bangladesh," the Indian Coast Guard said in the readout. In recent months, several Indian fishermen have been arrested by Bangladesh authorities when they happened to inadvertently

H-1B visa row: Skilled worker movement helps both US and India, says MEA

India-US economic ties benefit significantly from the technical expertise provided by skilled professionals

President to confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, MEA announces names

President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman during the valedictory session of the upcoming PBD Convention, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday as it announced the names of the awardees for this year. The awardees, who "represent the excellence achieved by our diaspora in various fields", include among others Baroness Usha Kumari Prashar from the UK (in the field of politics), Dr Sharmila Ford from the US for community service. There are a couple of institutions as well who will be given the award. The names for the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) 2025 were recommended by a Jury-cum-Awards Committee. The PBSA is the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. The award is conferred by the President as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention on Non-Resident Indians, Persons of Indian Origin or an organisation or institution established and run by the Non-Resident Indians or Persons of Indian Origin in "recognition of their outstanding .