Category: Politics

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Lula da Silva, the Brazilian President, for the warm welcome upon his arrival at the G20 summit’s venue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Further, the Prime Minister said that he is looking forward to the Summit’s proceedings. For the same, the Prime Minister’s post on X stated, “Looking forward to the proceedings at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Thankful to President Lula for the warm welcome.” Upon the Prime Minister’s arrival, he was seen shaking hands with President Lula,  and both leaders continued to interact further.

Earlier during the day, Prime Minister Modi was seen appreciating the display of the vibrant Indian culture in Brazil after his warm welcome in Rio.

PM Modi also took to his social media channels, sharing visuals of the Indian culture celebration in Brazil. In the video shared by the Prime Minister, the young kids are seen singing Vande Mataram with traditional Indian instruments like Harmonium being played around. The Prime Minister was greeted with chants of Jai Shree Krishna while witnessing a beautiful Garba performance from the Indian community members.

PM wrote on X – “A celebration of Indian culture in Brazil! Gratitude for a memorable welcome in Rio de Janeiro….” The dynamic between India and Brazil is multifaceted and very close, each at a bilateral and plurilateral level.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte agreed to strengthen cooperation on both security and the obtainment of key minerals in a meeting on Sunday, 18th November. Ishiba, in the meeting, said that Peru is an important partner for Japan in terms of economic security. To which Boluarte said that Peru wants to strengthen bilateral relations with Japan.

Japan and Peru issued a joint statement the same day which stated that they  “have decided to further deepen and dynamize the bilateral strategic partnership with a shared long-term vision.” It further stated  that the two nations acknowledged “the importance of cooperation to build and strengthen resilient and reliable supply chains for critical goods, including critical minerals.”

Peru, the world’s second-largest producer of copper, is rich in mineral resources, whereas Japan is a crucial consumer of this industrial metal. Along with this, the two countries also adopted a 10-year comprehensive roadmap for cooperation in various fields. In the field of defense and security, they agreed to facilitate interoperability between Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Peruvian Navy.

The United States and the Philippines have signed a military intelligence sharing deal on Monday. This pact seems to deepen the military ties between the two countries facing similar regional security challenges.

The agreement was signed between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Philippines counterpart Gilberto Teodoro at Manila’s military headquarters. The two countries also spoke and shared views on the broken ground for a coordination center, facilitating collaboration between the armed forces.

The two countries would also be securely sharing military information after signing the pact. For the same, the Philippines defense minister spokesperson Arsenio Andolong stated “Not only will this allow the Philippines access to higher capabilities and big-ticket items from the United States, it will also open opportunities to pursue similar agreements with like-minded nations.”

Such security engagements between the Philippines and the United States have evolved under the governance of Ferdinand Marcos Jr and President Joe Biden. Both the country leaders showed keen interest in countering China’s aggressive policies in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.

However, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, stated “The only correct choice for safeguarding one’s own national security and maintaining peace and stability in the region is to adhere to good neighbourly relations and to strategic autonomy.”

The United States and the Philippines have had each other’s backs since 1951 through a mutual defense treaty. Basically, if one of them is attacked – even in the South China Sea – the other is ready to help.

Britain will soon restart trade discussions with India on the new year’s free trade deal. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office released this after a much longer negotiation pause due to the ongoing elections in both countries. As per them, London will most likely see a “new strategic partnership” with India, deepening cooperation ideas like education, technology, security, and climate change. Such was Starmer’s statement after meeting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during the G20 summit held in Brazil.

“A new trade deal with India will support jobs and prosperity in the UK,” said Starmer.

During the ongoing summit, the British leader also met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Rio de Janeiro, seeking to establish “consistent, durable” relations between the two nations. He continued by saying that he would like to engage in areas like economy, climate, and trade.

Among the group of seven nations, Starmer has pledged to secure the position of the fastest sustained economic growth for Britain.

The OECD (Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development) says that by 2025, Britain’s growth is expected to be pretty low compared to others.

India and Nigeria on Sunday agreed to deepen the collaboration in maritime security, counter-terrorism, and intelligence during a state visit to the West of Africa by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi is India’s first prime minister to visit Nigeria in 17 years after receiving President Bola Tinubu’s invitation. The Nigerian President is currently seeking investments from the world’s major economies.

Prime Minister Modi landed in the capital, Abuja, on Saturday and met Tinubu at the presidential villa on Sunday. Here, the two leaders also discussed defense, healthcare, economic development, and food security – as per a joint statement released.

The two countries also discussed ways to combat growing threats and piracy, agreeing to coordinate actions toward safeguarding the maritime trades in the Gulf of Guinea and the Indian Ocean.

Africa’s most popular nation, Nigeria, is seeking to win Indian investment with a cheaper credit line to boost its economy and create jobs.

At the G20 Summit held last year, Nigeria was said to have secured $14 billion of pledges from Indian investors, including funds acclaimed from Jindal Steel and Power. This investment comitted to fuel $3 billion in Nigeria’s steel sector.

Currently, there are 200+ companies operating in Nigeria.

With an aim to establish the “Global Energy Efficiency Alliance,” the UAE unveiled an ambitious initiative during the COP29 meeting hoted in Azerbaijan. The move aspires to double the global energy efficiency rates by 2030, contributing significantly towards emission reductions. The initiative stands on the foundation of the’ UAE Consensus’ starting from COP28, which is a commitment to bringing together organizations, countries, and corporations, reducing carbon emissions, and promoting sustainable resource management. Keeping up with its expertise in energy efficiency, the UAE plans to lead the alliance, foster knowledge transfer, and build an effective partnership model with the private sector. The alliance aspires to design a support system that helps reduce carbon emissions and go by sustainable use of natural resources with knowledge sharing, capacity building, and standardization of efforts. Everything aims to encourage strategic public-private partnerships while bolstering investments in energy efficiency initiatives. The alliance aspires to focus on disseminating and compiling best practices with particular emphasis on assisting African nations. This support will extend to developing financing options and technological solutions that stand important for the continent’s progress in energy sustainability.

Japan troops will most likely participate with the United States Marines and Australian forces in northern Australia from next year. On this, the defense ministers from the three countries have confessed that they expressed concerns about the Chinese military’s growing threat.

On Sunday, a joint statement reiterated “serious concerns” about establishing actions in South China seas and the East. It also includes “dangerous conduct” by the Chinese military against the Phillippines and the region’s other vessels.

To conduct talks, Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles hosted his Japanese and US counterparts, Gen Nakatani and Lloyd Austin, in Darwin city. On the given occasion, they announced trilateral amphibious training between Japan, Australia, and the US Marine rotational force. This will start in northern Australia in 2025 and begin with a multinational training activity named Exercise Taliman Sabre.

As per Marles, Australia’s Defence Minister, the  deployment of troops for Darwin training is a “fantastic opportunity for our defense.” Marles also states this opportunity as “the best relationships possible with like-minded countries, with our friends and with our allies” when asked if the agreement would anger Beijing. For the first time next year, Canberra will join Exercise Orient Shield in Japan, a field training exercise between US and Japanese forces.

Following a historic electoral victory, Dr. Navin Ramgoolam will become Mauritius’ new Prime Minister. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his compliments on social media, expressing his enthusiasm for working with Ramgoolam to further their “unique partnership.” In a post on X (previously Twitter), PM Modi wrote, “Had a warm conversation with my friend Dr. Navin Ramgoolam, congratulating him on his historic electoral victory. I wished him great success in leading Mauritius and extended an invitation to visit India. (I) look forward to working closely together to strengthen our special and unique partnership.”

Mauritius held general elections on Sunday, with polling booths open from 7 a.m. (03:00 GMT) until 6 p.m. (14:00 GMT). It was the country’s 12th election since winning independence from the UK in 1968. On Monday, current Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth admitted defeat, recognising a significant loss for his political alliance. “The people have picked another team. Jugnauth expressed his best wishes for the country.

Dr. Navin Ramgoolam, the son of Mauritius’ first Prime Minister, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, served as Prime Minister from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, represented India at the G20 Culture Ministers’ Summit in Brazil and the World Travel Mart in London. These events align with PM Modi’s aim of encouraging sustainable development through culture.

Shekhawat emphasised India’s rich cultural history and tremendous tourism potential, presenting it as a strategic driver of economic progress. He emphasised how India’s cultural richness and geographic diversity can make it a top tourist destination and a key contributor to the national economy.

During the summit, Shekhawat held bilateral talks with leaders from Brazil, Germany, France, and South Africa, seeking joint opportunities to boost tourism between these countries and India.

The Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the High Commission of India in the UK, also sponsored the ‘Chalo India’ cultural event on the historic Cutty Sark in London. The event highlighted Indian culture and hospitality while also promoting the Ministry’s new ‘Chalo India’ project. Shekhawat asked the Indian diaspora in the UK to serve as cultural ambassadors, inviting friends to see “New India.” He announced that 100,000 e-tourist visas would be offered to foreign travellers through the ‘Chalo India’ initiative till March 31, 2025.

Denis Manturov, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, and S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, will co-chair the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Cooperation (IGC-TEC) meeting in New Delhi on November 12, with the goal of strengthening economic ties between the two countries. Before the major event, Manturov will attend the India-Russia Business Forum in Mumbai on Monday, which aims to strengthen ties between Indian and Russian business executives.

The IGC-TEC, which was created in 1992, remains an important platform for overseeing bilateral cooperation, regularly reviewing developments in trade and economic relations. The expected subjects of discussion include improving the payment method for bilateral commerce, raising trade settlements in national currencies, and investigating collaborative projects such as Vande Bharat trains with Russia’s Transmashholding.

The Business Forum, co-hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Business Council for Cooperation with India, will focus on industrial cooperation, transportation, finance, and digital technologies.

Both countries aspire to achieve a $100 billion trade objective by 2030. Despite reaching $30 billion by 2025, India remains concerned about its relatively low export volume.