Page 23 - Ministry Of External Affairs

India may renegotiate DTAA with Switzerland over EFTA trade pact: MEA

India on Friday said its double taxation treaty with Switzerland may require renegotiation in view of its trade pact with the member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The remarks by the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came after the Swiss government suspended the most favoured nation status (MFN) clause in the India-Switzerland Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). "My understanding is that with Switzerland, because of EFTA, the double taxation treaty that we have; it's going to be renegotiated. That is one aspect of it," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He was responding to a question on the issue at his weekly media briefing. India and the EFTA member states of Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein sealed a free trade deal in March. Under the mega trade deal, the four European countries are looking at making an investment of USD 100 billion in India over the next 15 years. The trade pact is yet to come into force.

India-UAE 'model' relationship to expand energy, trade ties: Jaishankar

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday discussed implementation of the ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) and resolved to shore up energy cooperation including long-term supplies and collaboration in upstream and downstream projects. Ways to further deepen bilateral relations in areas of energy, connectivity and trade figured prominently at the 15th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) that was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The meeting was held in New Delhi. In his televised opening remarks at the JCM, Jaishankar described the India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership as a "model" relationship and that the economic and commercial ties are not only very strong but increasingly "diversified and deep". "Since the entry into force of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in May 2022, trade has steadily grown and it has now reached a level o

India Post, MEA sign pact for 600 new Passport Seva Kendras at POs: Scindia

The Department of Posts and the Ministry of External Affairs have signed an agreement to set up an additional 600 passport seva kendras at post offices, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday. Speaking at the India Economic Enclave 2024, the minister said India Post has about 6,40,000 points of sales across the country and no one in the world can match its scale. "In the next 3-4 years, we will become a citizen-centric service. We have signed an agreement with the MEA today where we will set up 600 more networks for passport seva kendras, hopefully servicing one crore citizens per year through our network," the minister said. Launched in 2017, the Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) service has been instrumental in facilitating passport-related services to over 1.52 crore citizens. The network of POPSKs has grown significantly over the years, with 442 centres operational nationwide. According to an official note, the 600 POPSKs centres will be set up acr

India has evacuated all nationals who wished to return from Syria: MEA

India has evacuated from Syria all its nationals who wished to return home after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar Assad's authoritarian government in the Arab nation. The Syrian government collapsed on Sunday as the rebels seized control of capital Damascus after capturing several other prominent cities and towns. India evacuated its nationals from Syria on Tuesday. "We have evacuated all Indian nationals in Syria who wished to return home following recent developments in that country. So far, 77 Indian nationals from Syria have been evacuated," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday. Our embassy personnel in Damascus accompanied them to the border, after which our mission in Lebanon received them and facilitated their immigration, he said. He was replying to a question at his weekly media briefing. Jaiswal said the embassy made arrangements for their boarding and lodging in Beirut and for their travel back home. "Most of our nationals have

Indian forces reach all patrolling points in Depsang, Ladakh: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday that security forces would be going to all patrolling points in Depsang in Ladakh and also to the eastward limit which are historically been India's patrolling limit. He said in Lok Sabha that the last of the disengagement agreement with China was related to Depsang and Demchok. "I want to convey that it was mentioned in my (previous) statement (in Parliament) that the understanding envisaged that Indian security forces would be going to all patrolling points in Depsang, and would be going to the eastward limit which are historically been our patrolling limit in that part," he said during Question Hour. The minister said in the same statement, he has made it clear that India had disengagement agreements with China in the past too. "Those disengagement agreements also had certain provisions where both sides on a temporary basis had agreed to put certain restraint on themselves. So I think the position is very clear in that ...

PM Modi discusses India-Middle East-Europe corridor with UAE dy PM: MEA

The two leaders emphasized strengthening Comprehensive Strategic Partnership including in the areas of technology, energy, and people-to-people ties, as per MEA statement

86 Indians attacked or murdered in various countries in 2023: Centre

Eighty-six Indian nationals were attacked or murdered in various countries in 2023, the government informed the Parliament on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh shared the data in a written response to a query. In his response, he shared country-wise data for the the last three years. The figures were -- 29 in 2021, 57 in 2022 and 86 in 2023. In 2023, out of the 86 Indian nationals who were attacked or murdered, the figures for the US stood at 12, while it was 10 each for Canada, the UK and Saudi Arabia, as per the data shared. "The safety and security of Indians abroad is one of the foremost priorities for the government of India. Our Missions and Posts remain vigilant and closely monitor any untoward incident. Such incidents are immediately taken up with the concerned authorities of the host country to ensure that the cases are properly investigated and the perpetrators are punished," he said. These issues are also raised during meetings with t

Attacks on vessels in Red sea impact our trade: Centre tells Parliament

India remains "concerned" at the evolving situation in West Asia and attacks against commercial vessels in and around the Red Sea threaten freedom of navigation and "impact our trade", the government informed the Parliament on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to a query also said the government has "raised the issue" with the countries in the region and the Indian Missions are "closely monitoring" the situation to mitigate its impact. He was asked about the details of special measures that are being taken by the government to safeguard India's energy security in view of the possible disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea due to the Israel-Iran conflict and the diplomatic efforts being made by the government to mitigate the impact of this conflict on India's trade routes, especially the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. "India remains concerned at the evolving situation in West Asia. Attacks against commercial vessels i

'Frank, candid, constructive': Foreign secretary Misri on Bangladesh talks

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefs Parliamentary Standing Committee on India-Bangladesh relations after Dhaka visit

EAM Jaishankar to meet UAE counterpart on Dec 12 for strategic dialogue

Jaishankar and Al Nahyan will review the entire gamut of bilateral strategic ties at a meeting of the India-UAE Strategic Dialogue on Thursday, officials said

Faiz Hameed case: Why this former Pakistan ISI head is facing court martial

Retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed is the first former intelligence chief in Pakistan's history facing a court martial

Key thing is to see how Bangladesh acts after this meeting: Expert

Foreign Affairs expert Robinder Sachdev said that after Misri's meeting, if Bangladesh government doesn't act right, it would mean they intentionally don't want to keep good relations with India

Bangladesh needs India's support to come out of economic strain: Majumdar

Atrocities which are being committed against the Hindus in Bangladesh should be stopped, West Bengal BJP President and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar added

Calling all parties to work towards preserving unity: MEA on Syria crisis

In a statement, MEA called for a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process respecting the interests and aspirations of all sections of Syrian society

Foreign secy Misri in Dhaka: Agenda, India-Bangladesh ties status explained

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is on a one-day visit to Bangladesh, where he is expected to raise India's concerns over attacks on minorities, including Hindus

Foreign Secy Misri holds talks with B'deshi counterpart amid strained ties

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Bangladesh on Monday on a day-long visit, the first high-level trip from India after a massive uprising ended deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule in August. Misri's visit comes amid increasing strain in ties between New Delhi and Dhaka over attacks on minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh after Hasina's ouster. He is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Md. Jashim Uddin and meet the country's de-facto foreign minister Mohammad Touhid Hossain. He is expected to raise with Dhaka India's concerns over attacks. The close ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August. Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India. The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna .

Jaishankar meets Bahraini counterpart; discusses global developments

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday met his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and said he was looking forward to a productive meeting of the High Joint Commission on Monday. Jaishankar will co-chair the 4th India-Bahrain High Joint Commission (HJC) with his Bahrain counterpart. "Delighted to meet FM Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani today. Look forward to a productive meeting of India-Bahrain High Joint Commission tomorrow," he posted on X. The meeting will review the "entire gamut of the bilateral relations and discuss avenues to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Bahrain," according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs ahead of his visit. Jaishankar, who arrived in Manama on Saturday on the final leg of his two-nation trip, started the day on Sunday by visiting the 200-year-old Shreenathji Temple in Manama. "A true symbol of the longstanding India-Bahrain friendship," he wrote on X after visiting the .

Congress demands debate in Parliament on full gamut of India-China ties

Attacking the government over its statement in Parliament on India-China ties, the Congress on Sunday asked whether the Modi government has agreed to a "new normal" over the "old normal" prevailing prior to April 2020 and demanded that Parliament must be given an opportunity to debate the full gamut of the relationship between the two countries. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a discussion in Parliament on India-China relationship should focus on both strategic and economic policy, especially since our dependence on China has increased economically, even as it unilaterally changed the status quo on our borders over four years back. In a statement, Ramesh said the Congress has studied the recent suo motu statement made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in both Houses of Parliament titled "Recent Developments in India's Relations with China". It is unfortunate, but typical of the Modi government, that MPs were not permitted to seek any ..

EAM Jaishankar holds talks with World Economic Forum CEO Brende in Doha

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, 'A good conversation with Borge Brende of World Economic Forum in Doha today, discussed the global economic and political scenario'

Govt issues advisory for Syria, advises citizens to restrict movements

This warning comes in light of the situation prevailing in Syria, which poses significant risks to travellers