Category: Politics

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.

On Tuesday evening, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a telephonic conversation with the Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi to discuss that the “UK and India should intensify efforts to promote peace and de-escalation in the region”.

Meanwhile Mr Modi “reiterated India’s appeal for cessation of hostilities and the return to dialogue and diplomacy” but did not make any reference to Russia.

The official statement said, “PM emphasized India’s belief in respect for international law and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, as the basis of the contemporary world order”,

However, UK’s PM office claimed that both leaders specifically agreed that “Russia needed to adhere to the UN Charter and agreed that Ukraine’s integrity and territorial sovereignty must be respected”.

Mr Modi did not condemn Putin’s action in Ukraine but updated the UK PM in India’s support for the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The nations also discussed issues of bilateral interests and agreed on the potential of further strengthening the cooperation in different areas including trade, technology, investment, security & defence, and people-to-people relations”.

The talk comes ahead of an expected visit of Mr Johnson to Delhi in April for a bilateral summit that was cancelled twice due to the Covid pandemic.

On Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennet and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Nahyan hold talks with Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Eygpt.

Keeping the Ukraine war in mind, the leaders are likely to discuss the repercussions of the Russian invasion. These meetings were initiated as Israel seeks to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, which were held without prior announcements.

Earlier, Egypt and UAE shared a strong relationship with Russia. However, both nations now had joined a UN General Assembly vote to end the Russian invasion.

Officials from Israel and Eypts have confirmed the development meeting between Bennett and el-Sissi in which a range of regional topics will be discussed- including Iran nuclear talks.

According to the reports, the de facto leader of UAE arrived at the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh and met el-Sissi at the airport.

A new regional axis was created while the U.S. was uncertain of its commitment to its key security ally the UAE, Bahrain and Israel formed ties with Israel in 2020 due to shared concerns about Iran.

The Gulf states were excluded from talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, a deal that they have criticized for not addressing Iran’s missile program and regional proxy operations, including in Yemen.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Special envoy Prak Sokhonn met Myanmar’s military rulers on a controversial first trip to the crisis-hit country.

On Monday, Sokhonn began his three-day visit by holding talks with armed forces chief Min Aung Hlaing. In February 2021 Hlaing seized power in a coup.

According to the junta’s information team, the two men discussed “the situation of protests and violence stemming from political disagreement” along with humanitarian cooperation. ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi was also present at the meeting with the military’s foreign minister Wunna Maung Lwin. 

Aung San Suu Kyi’s government was removed by the military last year, triggering mass protests, nationwide strikes, and conflict with ethnic armies and rural groups. ASEAN has led diplomatic efforts to stop the chaos unleashed by last year’s coup.

Prak Sokhonn’s visit coincides with frustration in ASEAN over Min Aung Hlaing’s failure to honour the five-point “consensus” that ended hostilities and started a peace process, which he agreed to last year at an ASEAN summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Hun Sen, Cambodia’s strongman leader who has ruled the country for more than three decades, is hoping that the unprecedented decision by ASEAN to bar the generals from its summits will reignite dialogue.