Category: Politics

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met her Saudi Arabia counterpart, Mohammed Aljadaan and discussed the global debt crisis and strengthening of the multilateral development banks – an initiative under India’s G-20 presidency.

The finance ministers met on the sidelines of the annual Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington on April 12. In a series of tweets, the ministers shared their experiences. “H.E. Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and I discussed the #G20 agenda, and the progress made,” Aljadaan said in a tweet.

Among other things, the two leaders discussed the World Bank Evolution Roadmap and the Expert Group on Strengthening the Multilateral Development Banks constituted by the G20 India Presidency, the finance ministry said in a tweet. The finance ministers discussed global inflation issues, including spillover effects of measures taken, on the growth prospects of developing and low-income countries, besides the urgent need to tackle increasing global debt distress and improving the implementation of the Common Framework, the ministry said in its tweet.

Nirmala Sitharaman also visited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland during her US visit. She also met with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on the sidelines of the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings 2023 in Washington. The two leaders discussed strengthening the India-US economic and financial partnership and increasing engagements at bilateral and multilateral forums.

After it shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon in February, the US military held a brief conversation with the Indian side and other like-minded countries to update them about the matter, a senior American military commander said on April 10.

General Kenneth S Wilsbach, commander of the US Pacific Air Forces, said the country held the interaction behind closed doors with most of the air chiefs of the region. The suspected giant Chinese balloon was supposedly spying on key military sites across America. The US used fighter jets to bring down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina led to a diplomatic crisis with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelling a scheduled trip to China.

There were reports of an unidentified object flying in the sky of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands over a year ago. There were reports that the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the US had also transgressed over Canadian territory.

The US military commander was in India in connection with a mega air exercise between the two countries. Gen Wilsbach said it is important to protect the sovereignty of the airspace of various countries across the world.  In June 2016, the US designated India a “Major Defence Partner” paving the way for sharing of critical military equipment and technology.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has requested India for additional medicines and medical equipment.

The letter came during the three-day visit to India by Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Emine Dzhaparova, when she met Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi, a statement from the foreign ministry said on April 12. Both the ministers exchanged views on bilateral and global issues of mutual interest. Cultural ties and women empowerment also figured in the discussion.

“The Ukrainian Deputy FM also proposed that rebuilding infrastructure in Ukraine could be an opportunity for Indian companies,” the statement added. It added that the next Inter-Governmental Commission between New Delhi and Kyiv would be held in India on a mutually convenient date.

India has assured of providing enhanced humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

During her visit, Emine Dzhaparova held bilateral talks with Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), MEA. The bilateral agenda included spheres such as economic, defence, humanitarian assistance, and global issues of mutual interest. The Ukraine deputy foreign minister briefed the Secretary (West) about the prevailing situation in Ukraine. The two sides agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations in Kyiv on a mutually convenient date, according to a statement released by the MEA.

External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar on April 11 met his Ugandan counterpart General Odongo Jeje in Kampala and took stock of the “close and historical ties” between the two nations, and explored the possibilities of partnerships in trade, investments, energy, defence and air connectivity.

Jaishankar is on a two-nation visit to Uganda and Mozambique from April 10-15 to strengthen India’s robust bilateral relations with the two African countries. He affirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Kampala principles will be further implemented with a focus on digital, green and health projects. The minister, who arrived in Uganda on April 10, met President Yoweri Museveni at his farm in Rwakitura and conveyed to him the personal greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reiterated India’s full support to Uganda for a very successful chairship of the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM).

In 2018, Prime Minister Modi unveiled a set of 10 guiding principles that would dictate India’s engagement with Africa. In his speech at the Ugandan parliament, he outlined a vision for not only a bilateral relationship with Africa, but also a partnership at the global level.

The External Affairs Minister also participated in the virtual groundbreaking ceremony of solar-powered piped drinking water supply systems funded by the Exim Bank in Uganda. He said India would like to use the G20 presidency to get the forum focussed on its mandate which is global growth and development and issues important for Uganda.

The Philippines on April 3 announced the locations of four new military bases the US will gain access to, under an expanded defense agreement. The bases include three on the main island of Luzon, close to Taiwan, and one in Palawan province in the South China Sea (SCS).

The four new sites are Balabac Island in Palawan; Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana, Cagayan province; Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan; and Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela. In a press release, Philippine Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. called the four bases “very strategic,” especially the naval base in Cagayan and the one on Balabac Island.

The new locations, opened up under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Arrangement (EDCA), will allow the US to rotate troops to a total of nine bases throughout the Philippines, including on the strategically important Balabac Island close to Chinese installations in the SCS.

“These new locations will strengthen the interoperability of the United States and Philippine Armed Forces and allow us to respond more seamlessly together to address a range of shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including natural and humanitarian disasters,” said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh during a briefing.

The announcement follows a spate of high-profile US military agreements throughout the region, including plans to share defense technologies with India and deploy new US Marine units to Japanese islands.

Calling India, Russia and China to be emerging “major powers” with notable influence, Beijing has said that it is ready to boost ties with Moscow and New Delhi.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning on April 5 said this while responding to TASS Agency’s question about Russia’s new foreign policy concept. “As the international and regional landscape is facing profound and complex changes, we are ready to strengthen communication with the international community, including Russia and India, and send a positive signal to the world about defending true multilateralism and jointly responding to global challenges,” she added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 31 signed the new Foreign Policy Concept, which said strengthening and deepening relations with China and India is a diplomatic priority for Russia. The 42-page document predominantly recognised ties with China and India, stressing the importance of “the deepening of ties and coordination with friendly sovereign global centres of power and development located on the Eurasian continent.”

According to the document, Russia will continue to build a particularly privileged strategic partnership with India with a view to enhancing and expanding cooperation in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis and place special emphasis on increasing the volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring their resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances.

The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers have met for the first time in seven years, weeks after the two countries came to an agreement to restore diplomatic relations.

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Iran’s Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met in Beijing to discuss the reopening of embassies, the appointment of ambassadors and a planned visit to Saudi Arabia by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The ministers also discussed resuming flights between the two countries and issuing travel visas for each others’ citizens.

Meanwhile, Iran on April 4 appointed an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time since 2016. The decision came amid a realignment of relations between Gulf states and Iran.

The newly appointed ambassador of Iran, Reza Ameri had served as the Director General of the Iranian expatriates’ office in the Foreign Ministry. The appointment comes after the UAE last August moved to upgrade ties and said it was returning its ambassador to Tehran.

The UAE downgraded relations with Iran after Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran following Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. The UAE, which has business and trade ties with Iran stretching back more than a century, started re-engaging with Tehran in 2019 after attacks in Gulf waters and on Saudi energy sites.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approval ratings remain to be the highest among 22 world leaders at 76%, as per the latest rankings by approval tracker Morning Consult. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Australian PM Anthony Albanese were in the second and third spots. Swiss Confederation President Alain Berset and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are among the top five of the ratings by the global decision intelligence firm that tracks the major decisions of global leaders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has surpassed his US and UK counterparts, Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak to become the world’s ‘most popular’ leader. The list of top 10 most popular world leaders include Giorgia Meloni (Italy), Joe Biden (United States), Alexander De Croo (Belgium), Justin Trudeau (Canada), and Pedro Sánchez (Spain). Out of the 22 countries, Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala, France’s Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl ranked among the last three.

“The latest approval ratings are based on data collected from March 22-28, 2023. Approval ratings are based on a seven-day moving average of adult residents in each country, with sample sizes varying by country,” the website said.

Morning Consult said all interviews it conducted were online among nationally representative samples of adults.

India has been elected to the United Nations Statistical Commission for a four-year term. The country received 46 out of 53 votes, ahead of South Korea (23), China (19), and the UAE (15).

“India elected to the highest UN statistical body for a 4-year term beginning on 1 January 2024! Congrats Team @IndiaUNNewYork for coming through so strongly in a competitive election,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted on April 5. The union minister added that India’s “expertise in the field of statistics, diversity & demography has earned it a seat on the UN Statistical Commission.”

India was elected to the statistical body by secret ballot, while Argentina, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the United States of America were elected by acclamation for a four-year term of office beginning January 1, 2024.

Established in 1947, the United Nations Statistical Commission is the highest body of the global statistical system bringing together the Chief Statisticians from member states from around the world. It is the highest decision-making body for international statistical activities, responsible for setting of statistical standards and the development of concepts and methods, including their implementation at the national and international level. The Commission has 24 UN member countries that are elected by the United Nations Economic and Social Council based on an equitable geographical distribution.

On a three-day visit to India, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, called on President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Droupadi Murmu said that India is proud to support projects in Bhutan in sectors such as health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, digitization and skill development. She assured that India’s development partnership would continue to be guided by the priorities and aspirations of Bhutan. She noted that this year Bhutan is set to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category and embark on the path towards becoming a high income economy. She said that India would remain a reliable partner of Bhutan on this journey.

The conversation between the Bhutanese monarch and Prime Minister Modi covered the entire gamut of issues, said Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra at a special media briefing.

Bhutan appreciated India extending the Standby Credit Facility at a reduced interest rate and extended settlement period, and for providing an additional currency swap support of $200 million. Bhutan also looked at expanding partnerships for frontiers of space, startups and STEM education. India has promised to step up assistance for the 13th five year plan for Bhutan. On the cards is also an integrated check post, as well as cooperation on an energy engagement, said sources.