Category: Politics

On Thursday, China’s military termed the talks between India and China as “positive and constructive”. The talk between the two nations was recently held at the 15th round of talk to resolve the remaining issues related to the Ladakh standoff.

The two militaries held the 15th round of the China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting was held on March 11 at the Moldo/Chushul border meeting point on the Indian side. The two sides discussed continuing to promote the settlement of relevant issues in the area along the LAC in the Western Sector of the China-India border.

According to Senior Colonel Wu Qian from the Chinese Ministery of National Defence, the nations have agreed to handle the border situation in the best possible way by negotiating and consulting. However, it also firmly opposed the third parties’ interference.

He was responding to a question about US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner’s remarks that India is facing a serious situation from China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which the US is closely monitoring.

The Chinese military quoted online that Wu said, “China-India border issue is a matter between China and India”.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba accompanied by his spouse Dr Arzu Deuba is scheduled to pay an official visit to India. According to the Ministery of External Affairs, Deuba will visit the nation from 01-03 April at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Deuba will also be accompanied by a high-level delegation. This will be the first bilateral visit for the Nepalese PM after taking the office in July 2021.

On 2 April, PM Deuba will call Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu to hold talks with PM Modi. EAM S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval will call on the Prime Minister of Nepal. Apart from the official engagements, PM Deuba will be visiting Varanasi, UP.

Deuba had visited India during each of his four previous terms as Nepal’s prime minister. In 2017, he paid his last official visit to India as Prime Minister. Nepal is vital to India’s overall strategic geopolitical interests, and the two nations’ leaders have frequently referred to their age-old “Roti Beti” relationship.

Meanwhile, the impending visit will provide the two sides with the chance to examine their broad beneficial collaboration and see how far they can take it for both nations.

On Wednesday, Britain announced the withdrawal of its judges from Hong Kong’s top court to avoid legitimising oppression in the former British colony.

The British judges are sitting on the court since Since 1997 when Hong Kong was returned to China. In the midst of China’s ruling Communist Party’s efforts to assert its control and silence independent voices, the British government’s decision highlights the Asian financial hub’s growing isolation.

While England had judges on the Court of Final Appeal as part of efforts to protect the judicial system in the city, the British government declared the arrangement was “no longer tenable” due to China’s increasingly harsh legislation.

Britain’s Supreme Court President Robert Redd said, “The court in Hong Kong continues to be internationally respected for their commitment to the rule of law”. He further added that he has decided in an agreement with the government that the British judges of the Supreme Court will not continue to sit in the nation without appearing to support a government that has abandoned democratic norms such as political freedom and freedom of expression.

With immediate effect from Wednesday, two senior British judges submitted their resignations.

On Wednesday, Union minister Piyush Goyal met US Deputy national security advisor for international economics Daleep Singh to deepen India-US economic and strategic relations.

Daleep Singh is on a two-day visit to India ahead of the 2+2 Dialogue between the two nations which is scheduled in Washington on April 11.

Singh is likely to meet many other government officials and promote inclusive economic growth and prosperity. The focus will also be on free and open Indo-Pacific. He will consult his counterparts regarding Russia’s invasion and mitigate its impact on the global economy.

Mr Piyush Goyal tweeted, “Met US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics & G20 Sherpa, Daleep Singh. Discussed at length steps for further deepening India-US economic and strategic ties. Our complementary partnership will help us build resilient economies in a dynamic world order”.

According to the official statement, Singh will also discuss the priorities of the Biden Administration and promote high-quality infrastructure through Build Back Better World along with the development of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lyod Austin will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishakar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced a unilateral cease-fire in the war in Yemen starting at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The coalition fighting in Yemen said the move was meant to create a productive environment for Yemeni political talks about the war taking place in Riyadh. Also, the gesture is intended to create a “positive environment” for peacemaking during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, it said.

Yemen’s rebel Houthis are boycotting the Yemeni talks in Saudi Arabia, so the announcement raised immediate doubts.

Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said on late Tuesday that it will take all steps and measures to make the cease-fire successful and create a positive environment during the holy month of Ramadan to make peace and end the crisis”.

Mohammed al-Bkaiti rejected the offer and wrote on Twitter, “If the blockade is not lifted, the declaration of the coalition of aggression to stop its military operations will be meaningless because the suffering of Yemenis as a result of the blockade is more severe than the war itself”.

Saudi Arabia has been fighting since March 2015 to push back the Houthis and restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government but has had little success. Among the world’s worst humanitarian crises have resulted from the bloody stalemate in the war.

On Monday, US President Joe Biden proposed $1.8 billion for the Indo-Pacific strategy and another $400 million to counter the malign Chinese behaviour.

Joe Biden said, “In the Indo-Pacific, America is strengthening its role and expanding its cooperation with longtime allies and partners, including new diplomatic, defence and security, critical and emerging technology and supply chain, and climate and global health initiatives, while supporting stronger ties between our European and Indo Pacific allies”.

According to the White House, the budget promotes integrated deterrence in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. The budget prioritized China as the Department’s pacing challenge to sustain and strengthen deterrence.

The two strategies are part of the $773 billion US annual defence budget for the year 2023. The budget was submitted by the White House to the Congress party as part of the annual budgetary proposal.

Defense Department’s 2023 Pacific Deterrence Initiative highlights some of the department’s key investments that are aimed at strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the White House.

In addition to this, the budget provided $682 million for Ukraine to counter Russian malign influence and meet its growing needs.

In an official statement, Egypt’s foreign minister confirmed to take part in groundbreaking talks in Israel alongside his counterparts from the US and three Arab states.

In 1979, Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, after decades of enmity and conflict. In 1994, Jordan followed suit.

The UAE and Morocco foreign ministers are visiting Israel for the first time. The meet was announced as a “historic summit” by Israel on Friday.

For the event, Egypt, UAE, Morocco and Bahrain’s Foreign Ministers’ have travelled to Israel to express their commitment to a new relationship with the nation. US State Secretary Antony Blinken will also be attending the meeting that will focus on the revival of the Iran nuclear deal and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

​​Through a series of US-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords, the United Arab Emirates established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020.

Morocco and Bahrain followed the suit, while Sudan also agreed to normalize ties with Israel, although it has yet to be finalized.

The attack on Ukraine was condemned on Sunday in Israel in which two police officers were killed.

On Monday, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa expressed his gratitude to India for extending financial assistance of $1 billion of credit to deal with its economic crisis.

On Monday, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to hold bilateral talks with Sri Lanka’s top leadership. He is also scheduled to attend the seven-nation Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit.

On a three-day visit, S Jaishankar will examine the possibilities of enhancing bilateral ties with one of India’s key maritime neighbours. Sri Lankan Presidents’ office said that S Jaishankar is in Sri Lanka to attend the 5th BIMSTEC Summit that began on Monday in Colombo.

The statement read, “Expressing pleasure over the visit of Dr Jaishankar, the President thanked India for providing a Credit Line of USD 1 billion for the importation of essential commodities including food and medicine”.

The statement further read that Sri Lanka and India have commemorated their 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year with a number of commemorative events, including the issuance of commemorative coins and stamps.

The visit comes at a time when the island nation is facing its all-time worst foreign exchange crisis post-pandemic hit earnings from tourism and remittances.

S Jaishankar, the Minister for External Affairs, met with Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in Addu City on Sunday to discuss the special relationship between the two countries. He also conveyed personal greetings and good wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Solih.

He tweeted, “An honour to be received by President @ibusolih of Maldives. Conveyed the personal greeting and good wishes of PM @narendramodi. Discussed the special partnership between our two countries that has produced so many substantive outcomes during his tenure”.

Jaishankar said he was honoured to join President Solih in launching the National College of Police and Law Enforcement (NCPLE), which illustrates India’s strong support for law enforcement.

In another tweet, he said that likewise, the ground-breaking ceremony for Addu roads reinforces their partnership in development. They also signed an agreement regarding Addu reclamation and shore protection. The handover of the coastal radar system will enhance Maldives’ security.

Jaishankar also opened the Drug Detoxification and Rehabilitation Centre reflecting their P2P connection. He further added that the new eco-tourism zone is a statement of their shared environmental commitment and called it a good day for the two nations’ development cooperation.

On Sunday, The EU envoy visited Iran with an aim to bridge gaps in the talks on the nuclear deal. In Tehran, the EU coordinator met Iran’s Foreign Minister and its chief negotiator for a talk to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.

EU diplomat Enrique Mora tweeted ahead of the trip, “Working on closing the remaining gaps in the #ViennaTalk. We must conclude this negotiation. Much is at stake”.

Mr Mora looks after the indirect talks between Iran and the US, visited Tehran on late Saturday and met Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdoolahian on Sunday.

No further details regarding the meeting or earlier discussion between More and Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri were mentioned. Bagheri emphasised that the agreement can be reached if the US’s side is realistic.

Joseph Borrel, EU foreign policy chief, expressed hope for a renewed accord within “days” of Mr Mora’s visit. On the sideline of the Doha Forum in Qatar, Mr Borrell said, “We are very close but there are still some issues pending. I cannot tell you when or how, but it is a matter of days”.

Added to the 2015 deal was a curb on Iran’s nuclear programme that would ensure that it could not develop a nuclear weapon-something Iran has always denied wanting.