Page 42 - Ministry Of External Affairs

Within 6 yrs, India achieved 80% financial inclusion: Ruchira Kamboj

'Within six years, India has achieved an 80% financial inclusion rate, a feat that would have taken decades without such digital infrastructure,' she said

Some technicalities involved in return of 16 Indians onboard MSC Aries: MEA

Nearly two weeks after an Israel-linked container vessel was seized by Iran's military, India on Thursday said there are certain "technicalities involved" in the return of the remaining 16 Indian crew members is concerned. Ann Tessa Joseph, the sole woman cadet among the 17 Indian crew members of the vessel "MSC Aries" that was seized on April 13, was released on April 18 following "concerted efforts" by the Indian mission in Tehran and the Iranian government. In response to a question during his weekly media briefing here, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the 16 Indians are in "good" health. The Indian mission was given consular access to the Indians by Iranian authorities. There are 16 Indians onboard MSC Aries now as one woman has come back, Jaiswal said. "These 16 people, we had asked consular access for, which we got. Our officers went there and met. They are in constant touch with their families. Their health is good. And they have no problems of any kind onboard the sh

10 Indians working as support staff with Russian Army return home: MEA

Ten Indian nationals working as support staff with the Russian military have been released and have returned to India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has been pressing Russia to ensure the return of all other citizens serving in similar positions in the Russian military. "Ten such individuals have come back to India and they have been released and they have returned home," Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. After two Indians, working as support staff with the Russian military lost their lives, India last month called on its nationals to not risk their lives by taking up such jobs. Jaiswal said the Indian side is very actively pursuing the case of all Indians serving with the Russian military at various levels, including with the foreign ministry, defence ministry and several other organisations in Russia. "We are committed to bring back all the people who so far have got in touch with us and want to

EAM Jaishankar slams Western media, says 'games being played with us'

"Now I read that article and I wanted to say listen, in that heat my lowest turnout is higher than your highest turnout in the best run," Jaishankar said

'Asean can play imp role in emerging regional architecture of Indo-Pacific'

India believes that a strong and unifiedEAN can play a constructive role in the emerging regional architecture of the Indo-Pacific, External Affair Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday while underlining that a "multipolar Asia" and a "multipolar world" are increasingly self-evident today. In his virtual address at the 1stEAN Future Forum, he also said "we believe that Quad compliments theEAN and theEAN-led mechanisms" in their effort to make the region prosperous through delivery of people-centric benefits. Jaishankar asserted thatEAN is "at the heart of our Act East Policy" and is a "crucial pillar in India's wider Indo-Pacific vision". "We supportEAN unity, centrality and theEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific," he said. Jaishankar said India andEAN are neighbours sharing "millennia-old cultural and civilisational linkages". TheEAN-India relationship which has entered its fourth decade and has matured into a "comprehensive strategic partnership" is based on shared values and common ...

MEA's revocation certificate for OCI card brings relief to Goans: CM Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the Ministry of External Affairs circular on revocation certificate to be a valid document in lieu of surrender certificate for obtaining Overseas Citizen of India card would be a relief to thousands of Goans. This is a "great news" for the people of Goa, Sawant said in a post on X on Sunday. He posted the MEA memorandum issued on April 4, 2024, which said the "MHA has now decided to accept Revocation Certificate as an alternative documents in lie of surrender certificate in case of Indian nationals hailing from erstwhile Portuguese territories of India (Goa, Daman and Diu), who have acquired Portuguese nationality as per Portuguese Nationality Law, and who have been issued 'Revocation Order' by the RPOs (regional passport offices) instead of Surrender Certificate". Sawant said the MEA has issued clarification that revocation certificate will also be a valid document in lieu of surrender certificate for obtaining the OCI Card. "I thank the

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