During the 2-day state visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Maldives, he was conferred with country’s Highest Honor “Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen”. The award was bestowed upon him by Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during a ceremony in Male for his role in strengthening bilateral relations between India and Maldives. It is Maldives’ highest honor accorded to foreign dignitaries. The award was given in 3 degrees that include a Collar, a Badge, and a Sash. Upon arrival, PM Modi and President Solih exchanged pleasantries and were also accorded the guard of honor. This
Former Indian President Pratibha Patil was honoured with ‘Orden Mexicana del Auguila Azteca’ (Order of the Aztec Eagle), the highest civilian award of Mexico for foreigners. Mexico’s Ambassador to India, Melba Pria, presented the award at a special ceremony. Ms. Patil, India’s only woman President, has also become the second Indian President after S. Radhakrishnan to receive this award. This is also the first time the Mexican government has proffered ‘Aztec Eagle’ award to a woman. The award is bestowed to foreigners to acknowledge their outstanding services to the Mexican nation
The 16th ASEAN-India Summit 2019 was held in Thailand in November 2019. The summit was chaired by H.E. General Prayut Chan-oCha, Prime Minister of Kingdom of Thailand. Along with 16th ASEAN-India Summit 2019, there are other summits that took place such as 35th ASEAN Summit, 14th East Asia Summit and 3rd meeting of RCEP. The honorable Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended and co-chaired the summit along with the heads of member countries – Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, and Laos. The summit brought up and discussed topics
The International Monetary Fund has appointed Bulgarian economist Kristalina Georgieva as its new Managing Director for a term of five years. With her appointment, she became the first person from an emerging economy to head the global lender. Additionally, she is also the second woman ever to lead the 189-member institution. As a center-right politician who witnessed communism, she built a reputation during her stint at the World Bank as CEO.The selection had been all but guaranteed after the IMF said earlier that she is the sole candidate. She was selected by 24-member Executive Board rep
In November 2019, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited India and met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and co-chaired the 5th InterGovernmental Consultations (IGC). Both countries acceded to sign seventeen agreements in the fields of agriculture, ayurveda, maritime technology, migration, occupational diseases and yoga. Five Joint Declarations of Intent were also exchanged on strategic projects, partnership for green urban mobility, research and development on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cooperation in the field of prevention of marine litter. Following are some significant Ind
Baku, Azerbaijan hosted the XVIII (18th) Summit of Heads of state and government of the Non-Aligned Movement in October 2019. The theme of the summit was “Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of the contemporary world”. The Summit was preceded by Preparatory Senior Officials Meeting and the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting. The 120-member group representing 55% of the world population attended the 18th Forum. The focus of the summit was on issues related to terrorism, threats to peace and security, UN reforms, climate change, sustaina
In October 2019, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo was sworn in for a second and final term amid tight security. As thousands celebrated with song and dance, helicopters flew overhead and troops kept a vigil in the capital Jakarta. More than 30,000 security personnel were deployed in the capital. The city police even locked down some parts of the city over security concerns. With a sacrosanct Quran over his head, the 58-year-old Widodo along with Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, recited the oath of office before lawmakers and regional senators, which make up the People’s Consultative Assembl
Dubai, UAE hosted the 7th Annual World Government Summit 2019. The three-day summit was attended by 4000 decision makers across 150 countries that include the head of the state, ministers and business leaders. It’s a global platform meant for shaping the future of governments worldwide. The World Government Summit sets the agenda each year for the next generation of governments, focusing on how they can effectively use innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity. It’s a neutral non-profit organization that operates as a knowledge exchange platform for leaders i
On February 23, 2019, Saudi Arabia appointed its first female ambassador, Princess Reema Bint Bandar, to the United States. A former Vice-President of Women’s Affairs at General Sports Authority and a known philanthropist who lived in the US for more than two decades, her appointment came as a replacement of Price Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, which was a result of fallout over journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder tests relations between the allies. The princess, who has been a pioneer women’s rights advocate in the kingdom, is also a rising political star in the country. Her appointment is
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s President, has been elected chairman of the African Union by the continental body at a summit in Ethiopia. He has been appointed the chair of the 55-member pan-African body after former Rwandan President Paul Kagame stepped down. The Egyptian leader said he would target his fight against the armed groups on the continent and focus his efforts on rebuilding the countries recovering from conflict during his one year term as a chairman of African Union. According to Sisi, the African Union will use mediation and ‘preventive diplomacy’ as mechanisms for promoti