Page 37 - Ministry Of External Affairs

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra's visit to Bangladesh likely to be postponed

A planned visit to Bangladesh by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on April 20 is likely to be postponed, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Kwatra was to travel to Bangladesh mainly to prepare the grounds for a likely visit to India by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in June, they said. The reasons for the postponement of the visit were not immediately clear. In Dhaka, Kwatra was scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Masud Bin Momen on the entire gamut of bilateral relations and ways to further expand the ties. Kwatra's visit was aimed at preparing grounds for PM Hasina's planned trip to India in June, the people cited above said. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Mahmud visited India in February. It was his first bilateral foreign trip after Hasina came to power for a fifth term after a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections in January. During his trip, Mahmud held comprehensive talks with External Affairs Minister S ...

Iran responsive to call for release of 17 Indians aboard seized ship: EAM

India has urged Iran to release 17 Indians onboard a Portuguese cargo vessel seized by the Iranian military, and Tehran was quite responsive, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday. He said there have been some follow-up conversations between the Indian embassy and Iranian authorities. "Yesterday night, I spoke to my Iranian counterpart (Hossein Amir-Abdollahian). I pressed him. I told him there are 17 crew members from India. We are making the point with the Iranian government that these people should be released, that they should not be detained," he told reporters here. On Saturday, the Iranian military seized the cargo ship with Israeli links near the Strait of Hormuz. The ship has 17 Indian crew members. "I'm getting some reports but I want our embassy people to actually go there and meet these people. That will be my first point of satisfaction," he said. "Secondly, I would absolutely press for the people to come back to India as quickly as we can and my colle

India calls for de-escalation in wake of hostilities between Israel, Iran

We are seriously concerned at the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran which threatens the peace and security in the region, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said

Terrorists don't play by rules, so country's response can't have rules: EAM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that India was committed to respond to any act of terrorism perpetrated from across the borders, and asserted that since terrorists do not play by rules, there cannot be any rules in the country's answer to them. Attacking the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) dispensation over its response to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, he said that after a lot of deliberation at the government level, nothing fruitful came out at that time as it was felt that the cost of attacking Pakistan was more than not attacking it. Interacting with youth on Friday at an event titled 'Why Bharat Matters: Opportunity for youth and participation in global scenario' here, he asked that if a similar attack happens now and one does not react to it, how can the next such attacks be prevented. Jaishankar also said that the country's foreign policy has undergone a change since 2014 and it is the way terrorism is dealt with. When asked about countries with .

Kwatra meets key US officials, reviews progress of strategic partnership

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has met several US senior officials, including Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks, to undertake a detailed review of the progress on further consolidating the bilateral strategic ties and discussed their shared efforts to promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region. Kwatra is in the US this week for a series of meetings with senior officials of the US government and interaction with industry leaders to advance bilateral cooperation in areas like defence and technology. Hicks and Kwatra discussed priorities for strengthening the US-India defence partnership, including the implementation of the roadmap for the US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation, Pentagon spokesperson Eric Pahon said. The two officials underscored the historic momentum in the Major Defence Partnership in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to an official statement. They applauded the efforts by both countries to advance the co-production of fight

India's policy on terrorism has changed since 2014, says Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said there is a change in the foreign policy of the country since 2014 and it is the way terrorism is dealt with. Jaishankar was interacting with youth at an event titled 'Why Bharat Matters: Opportunity for youth and participation in global scenario' here. Asked about which are countries that India finds difficult to maintain relationships with, he said one, Pakistan, was in the neighbourhood and "for that we are only responsible". In 1947, Pakistan sent tribal invaders into Kashmir and the Army countered them and the integration of the state took place, he pointed out. "While the Indian Army was taking its action, we stopped and went to the UN and mentioned the work of tribal invaders instead of terrorism. If we, from the very start, were clear that Pakistan is using terrorism, then would have had a very different policy," the EAM said. Terrorism cannot be acceptable under any circumstances, he asserted. Asked about continuity in

India's infra budget on China border rose after 2014: S Jaishankar

EAM said agreements between the two nations will have to be adhered to, adding that China, during the Covid pandemic, broke an understanding that both sides will not bring more than 5,000 troops

India, Kazakhstan assess security challenges, exchange views on terrorism

During the meeting that took place in Astana, both sides exchanged views on the terrorist threats in their respective regions, including State-sponsored, cross-border terrorism in South Asia

17 Indians, lured into unsafe work in Laos, way back home: EAM S Jaishankar

Seventeen Indian workers, who were lured into unsafe and illegal work in Laos, are on their way back home, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. He also complimented the Indian embassy in Laos for its successful efforts in the case. In a post on X, he said, "Modi ki Guarantee works for all at home and abroad. Seventeen Indian workers, lured into unsafe and illegal work in Laos, are on their way back home." "Well done, @IndianEmbLaos. Thank Lao authorities for their support for the safe repatriation," he added. The external affairs ministry on Thursday cautioned Indian nationals against falling prey to human traffickers promising lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia. In an advisory, the ministry called upon Indians looking at job opportunities in the southeast Asian country to thoroughly check the background of the prospective employer. "It has come to attention that Indian nationals, lured by fake promises of lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia, are fall

CAA does not deprive citizenship; India does not need sermons: VP Dhankhar

'Some countries are yet to have a woman president, while we had a woman Prime Minister before even the UK,' asserted Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhat while warning against the spread of misinformation

MEA asks Indians seeking jobs in Cambodia to check background of employers

The external affairs ministry on Thursday cautioned Indian nationals against falling prey to human traffickers promising lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia. In an advisory, the ministry called upon Indians looking at job opportunities in the Southeast Asian country to thoroughly check the background of the prospective employer. "It has come to attention that Indian nationals, lured by fake promises of lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia, are falling into the trap of human traffickers," it said. The ministry said these Indian nationals are "coerced" to undertake online financial scams and other illegal activities. "Indian nationals intending to visit Cambodia for employment are cautioned to do so only through authorised agents. It is also advised that the background of the prospective employer in Cambodia is checked thoroughly," it said. "In the meantime, the ministry of external affairs, through our mission in Phnom Penh, is working closely with the Cambodian authorities

Maldives still considers India as a friend: Minister Mohamed Saeed

The Maldives still considers India a friend, the tourism-dependent country's economic minister has said while defending President Mohamed Muizzu's stand against the presence of "foreign soldiers" in the archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean. Within hours of taking oath last November, Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, asked India to withdraw its 88 military personnel from the country, saying their presence was a threat to Maldives' sovereignty. During an interview with Turkey-based news outlet TRT World on Wednesday, Maldives' Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed was asked whether Male can be friends with both China and India, to which he responded that Maldives is a friend of all countries, not just the two. I think the Maldives is a friend of all the countries, not only two countries. We are a tourist country and open to the world. As a holiday destination, we are appreciated by both Chinese and Indians. As far as trade is concerned, both markets are important to the Maldives,

Govt rejects 'senseless attempts' by China to rename places in Arunachal

The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday firmly rejected attempts by China to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh and asserted that assigning "invented names" will not alter the reality that the state "is, has been, and will always be" an integral and inalienable part of India. The statement was issued by the MEA in response to media queries in the wake of China releasing a fourth list of 30 new names of various places in Arunachal Pradesh amid Beijing's stepped-up assertions in recent weeks to re-emphasise its claim over the Indian state. "China has persisted with its senseless attempts to rename places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. We firmly reject such attempts. Assigning invented names will not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was quoted as saying in the statement. On March 28, India said that Beijing may "repeat its baseless claims" as many times a

Cambodia fake job scam explained: Over 5k Indians coerced into cybercrimes

The Indian Embassy has rescued 250 victims of illegal cyber work scam in Cambodia over the last three months. Here is everything you need to know about fake job scam

Katchatheevu row: PM Modi sharpens attack, Cong asks him to talk on China

DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin questioned the BJP's 'sudden love' for fishermen ahead of elections

S Jaishankar meets Ukranian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in New Delhi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba in New Delhi on Friday as part of a bilateral engagement. Kuleba, who arrived here on Thursday, is on a two-day visit to India. "Welcome FM @DmytroKuleba of Ukraine to Hyderabad House. Look forward to our discussions today," Jaishankar posted on X ahead of their talks. The external affairs minister also shared a photograph of him shaking hands with his Ukranian counterpart at the Hyderabad House. Kuleba's visit comes amid efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the over two-year-old Russia-Ukraine conflict. On Thursday, Kuleba had posted on X, "I began my visit to New Delhi upon @DrSJaishankar's invitation. The Ukrainian-Indian cooperation is important and we will be reinvigorating ties. Building on the dialogue between @ZelenskyyUa and @NarendraModi, we will pay specific attention to the Peace Formula." During his weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson

Beijing may repeat 'baseless claims', Arunachal integral part of India: MEA

India on Thursday said Beijing may "repeat its baseless claims" as many times as it wants but that is not going to change New Delhi's position that Arunachal Pradesh "was, is and will always remain" an integral and inalienable part of the country. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this during his weekly press briefing, in response to a query on China continuing to harp on its claim over Arunachal Pradesh. His comments came days after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Monday reiterated China's claim. "Our position on the matter, Arunachal Pradesh, has been made very clear, time and again. Recently also, we issued a statement in this regard. China may repeat its baseless claims as many times as they want, that is not going to change our position. Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India," he said. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on March 19 it had noted the comments made by the spokesperson of the Chinese

We encourage peaceful resolution of Russia-Ukraine conflict, says India

India on Thursday said it continues to encourage a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through "dialogue and diplomacy". MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this in response to a query during a press briefing on India's stand on the inaugural Peace Summit in Switzerland. "We continue to encourage peaceful resolution of Russian-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, and remain open to engage, all ways and means, that would help achieve this objective," he said. His comments came on a day Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba arrived here on his maiden visit to India. Kuleba said the bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and India is "important" and it will be strengthened. In response to a question on number of Indians "duped" by agents and sent to Russia to join the military, the MEA spokesperson said, "We are constantly in touch with Russian authorities, we are pressing, we have taken it up strongly for them to have our nationals released a

India, China discuss full disengagement, resolving issues along LAC

The 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs has been held and the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve "complete disengagement" and resolve the remaining issues along the LAC, the MEA said on Thursday. The key meeting was held in Beijing on March 27, it said in a statement. "The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the MEA led the Indian delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement said. "In the interim, both sides agreed to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels and on the need to uphold peace and tranquility o

Jaishankar calls on Malaysian PM, discusses cooperation in multiple sectors

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday called on Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the two leaders exchanged views and discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, science and technology, education, agriculture, tourism, defence and also on regional issues including Myanmar. Jaishankar, who is here on a two-day official visit, met Anwar at the Prime Minister's Office and the meeting lasted about an hour, the official Bernama news agency reported. In a statement issued after the meeting, the Prime Minister's Office said that Anwar and Jaishankar exchanged views and discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, science and technology, education, agriculture, tourism, defence and digital, and also on regional issues including Myanmar. Anwar gave his commitment to facilitate the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) branch campus in Malaysia, it added. The Prime Minister also expressed appreciation to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for ...