Category: Politics

On Wednesday, the External Affairs Minister confirmed a three-day visit to Germany, Denmark and France of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from May 2-4. This will be the first visit abroad of the Prime Minister in 2022.

Mr Modi is scheduled to hold various high-level meetings with top dignitaries of the respective companies. He will hold bilateral talks in Berlin with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz which will be the first in-person meeting with the chancellor after taking the office in 2021. Mr Modi and Chancellor Scholz will also jointly address a Business Event.

The India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultation will be co-chaired by the two leaders during his visit. Various leaders from both countries will participate in this unique mechanism, which has helped to deepen bilateral relations between India and Germany in many fields. Prime Minister Modi and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the fifth round of the biennial earlier in 2019 in New Delhi.

Post Germany, Mr Modi will visit Copenhagen, Denmark on invitation by the Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen for the second India-Nordic Summit. During the 2nd India-Nordic Summit, PM Modi will have an opportunity to interact with leaders from the Nordic countries: Prime Ministers Katrin Jakobsdóttir of Iceland, Magdalena Andersson of Sweden, Sanna Marin of Finland, and Jonas Gahr Store of Norway.

On Monday (April 25), The U.K. and U.S.A. began two days of trade talks. The talks aimed to secure a coveted post-Brexit free trade deal. Anne-Marie Trevelyan hosted her US counterpart Katherine Tai in Aberdeen, northeast Scotland, and London.

Ms Trevelyan said, “This dialogue gives us a platform to explore more modern, digital ways of trading. It will identify and resolve barriers to trade to make it cheaper and easier for businesses in Scotland and throughout the U.K. to do business with our U.S. friends”.

In comments on Sunday evening before the meeting, Trevelyan did not mention a free trade deal, calling the meeting a “second transatlantic dialogue” that would focus on “agreed priority areas”. Digital and innovation sectors, sustainable trade, supporting small- and medium-sized businesses, and supply chain resilience is among them.

Trevelyan and Aberdeen previously met in Baltimore at the end of March and announced plans to end the tariffs imposed by former US President Donald Trump on steel and aluminium imports.

The United Kingdom left the European Union in full in January 2021 and has been seeking deals across the globe to boost international trade. President Joe Biden’s administration is more lukewarm than his predecessor when it comes to reaching an agreement with Washington.

On Sunday, US President Joe Biden’s government confirmed accepting Isararli’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Invitation to visit Israel in the coming months. The statement was confirmed by Bennett’s government as well. However, the date for the expected trip was not mentioned.

The statement comes after the two leaders spoke on Sunday where they discussed Iranian issues and the removal of IRCC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) from the US Foreign Terror Organization (FTO).

Bennett said, “I am sure that President Biden, who is a true friend of Israel and cares about its security, will not allow the IRGC to be removed from the list of the terrorist organizations. Israel has clarified its position on the issue: The IRGC is the largest terrorist organization in the world”.

Biden was also updated on the efforts to stop the violence and incitement in Jerusalem. Over 300 Palestinians have been arrested and more than 200 have been injured since Israeli forces launched incursions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on April 15.

According to Israeli authorities, they entered the compound to facilitate incursions by far-right Jews to the holy site- 14-hectare houses of the al-Qibli Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

On Monday, the meeting between the Indian leadership and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen will discuss counterbalancing China’s belligerent moves and Beijing’s model of economic expansionism in the Indo-Pacific region.

Von der Leyen will discuss the threat to Europe from Russia posed by the Ukraine conflict, while India will seek a broader commitment from the EU to make the Indo-Pacific more inclusive. New Delhi aims to expand the EU’s footprint in the Indo-Pacific region.

She made it clear that the EU’s tense relations with Russia and its attempts to reduce its energy dependence would be among her talking points on Monday. At the International Solar Alliance, she said, “Russian war on Ukraine is a stark reminder to us Europeans to reduce dependency on Russian fossil fuels”. Meanwhile, India neither condemns the war nor supports the West-backed resolutions in the UN against Russia.

India and the EU, however, have more in common over China’s aggression and the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe. With China’s inroads into Europe reaching a peak in 2020, many European countries have adopted a cautious approach towards Beijing since the pandemic hit. The EU launched its Indo-Pacific strategy against this backdrop and sought to collaborate with India including in the connectivity sector.

On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected with a comfortable margin against his competitor. Macron secured a second term by defeating his far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

France has earlier seen two French presidents secure a second term before Macron. However, his margin looked tighter than his first win against Le Pen in 2017, underlying how many French were unimpressed with him and his domestic record.

In the wake of Britain’s exit from the European Union, Donald Trump’s election in 2016 and the rise of a new generation of nationalist leaders, the victory was immediately hailed by allies as a respite.

President of European Council- Charles Michel tweeted, “Bravo Emmanuel. In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union”.

Meanwhile, a mixed emotion was seen in France where the celebration took place at the foot of the Eiffel tower where Macron supported chanted “Macron” and waved French and EU flags on the other hand Le Pen’s supporters erupted in boos and whistles at a sprawling reception hall on the outskirts of Paris.

On Tuesday, Yemen’s new Presidential council was sworn into power in the southern city of Aden. the swearing-in took place a few weeks after a truce between the government and the Houthi rebels began.

The city was patrolled by hundreds of government soldiers while the council of eight-man across the country was sworn-in in the front of the parliament building. The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg attended, along with several European and Arab ambassadors. Before the swearing-in ceremony, Yemen’s Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek Saeed arrived in Aden, which serves as the temporary capital of Yemen.

A Yemeni official said, “This is the beginning of a new era for Yemen, the start of the real work towards ending the war, which has been the outcome of the Yemeni talks in Saudi Arabia. We want Yemen to have a new chapter and this is our chance”.

Security reasons prevented the event from being announced in advance. After arriving at Aden Airport from Saudi Arabia, government officials were targeted in a missile attack, resulting in at least 20 deaths.

It remains unclear whether the government and the presidential council will remain in Aden or return to Riyadh, as they have been doing since the beginning of the war.

On Saturday, Fumio Kishida and visiting U.S. lawmakers affirmed their commitment to work together under a longstanding bilateral alliance. The talk comes at a time of heightened global tensions that included threats from China and North Korea.

The meeting of delegations was led by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina who agreed with Kishida on the importance of maintaining a “free and open Indo-Pacific region”. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas are also part of the U.S. delegation.

Following their visit to Taiwan, the six lawmakers publicly expressed their support for the island’s self-governing democracy and issued a warning to China. On Friday, they met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Historically, Japan has been concerned about China’s possible invasion of Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory that should be united by force if need be. Military drills were carried out by China near Taiwan in protest of the delegation’s visit. A spokesperson said China was prepared “to take strong measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit Ahmedabad on a two-day visit to India for “in-depth talks”. Johnson will become the first British Prime Minister to visit Gujrat.

He will meet with leading businesses in Ahmedabad and discuss the burgeoning commercial, trade, and people ties between the UK and India. Gujarat, India’s fifth-largest state, was chosen because it is the ancestral home of roughly half the British-Indian diaspora in the UK.

PM Johnson is scheduled to land on April 21 and will begin his trip to Ahmedabad in Gujrat post where he will head to New Delhi to meet Modi on April 22.

Mr Johson said ahead of his visit, “My visit to India will deliver on the things that really matter to the people of both our nations- from job creation and economic growth, to energy security and defence”.

According to a press release, both the leader will talk about India-UK strategic defence and diplomatic and economic partnership. They will also focus on ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations launched earlier this year.

The press statement stated, “In Gujrat, the Prime Minister is expected to announce a major investment in key industries in both the UK and India, boosting jobs and growth at home, as well as new collaboration on cutting-edge science, health and technology”.

According to sources, India confirmed participating in a virtual summit of the Brazilian-Russian-Indian-Chinese-South African grouping to be held towards the end of June, weeks after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Delhi.

The tentative date for the meeting will be June 23-24 which was suggested by the summit, however, the final decision on the date is yet to be finalised. Last year the meet was held virtually which was hosted by India.

Prime Minister Modi will share the platform with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since the Ukraine war began. Leaders of Brazil and South Africa will also attend the summit along with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In April 2020, tensions broke out at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) following the PLA’s transgressions. This is the first summit hosted by China since the conflict.

The BRICS summit is being prepared with further preparatory meetings. A meeting of BRICS ministers of health, including Mandaviya, was held on April 12 to launch a “BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre” to conduct “vaccine joint research, plant co-construction, authorised local production, and mutual recognition of standards”, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Counter-terrorism officials will also meet on Tuesday to discuss “targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism and terrorism financing” during a plenary session.

Australia will hold a general election on May 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison mentions, triggering a campaign expected to be fought over cost-of-living pressures, climate change and questions of trust and competence of the major parties. The economic uncertainties and security threats are the two main stakes with which Morrison is propagating his position. The opposition Labor party says it would offer a better economic alternative for the Australian people. He urged voters to stick with a government that delivered one of the lowest pandemic death tolls of any advanced economy rather than risk the opposition Labor Party.

Morrison led his government to a narrow victory at the last election in 2019 despite opinion polls consistently placing the center-left opposition Australian Labor Party ahead. Labor leader Albanese highlighted that food, fuel, childcare and healthcare costs had jumped while wages had stayed flat since the conservative coalition took office in 2013, and said a Labor government would ease pressure on family budgets. Morrison and Albanese were in a statistical tie as preferred prime minister for the next three-year term. A recent Newspoll survey showed Labor leading the coalition 54 percent to 46 percent on a two-party basis.