Page 13 - External Affairs Ministry

EAM Jaishankar rejects criticism over delays in firming up India-UK FTA

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday took strong objection to those criticising New Delhi for delays in firming up the proposed free trade agreement with the UK and said careful scrutiny is required as such pacts could impact livelihoods of people. "I hear this naysayers' narrative coming back -- why isn't India quickly signing up (the FTA) with the UK? Nobody says why isn't the UK quickly signing up with India? So somewhere, it is like we have to make that accommodation," he said. The external affairs minister was speaking at a book release ceremony. India and the UK have been holding negotiations to firm up an ambitious FTA. The two sides are learnt to have finalised over 20 out of 26 chapters in the FTA and are now looking at sealing it by bridging differences on certain contentious issues including mobility of people and import duty concessions on certain items. In April last year, the two sides had set a Diwali deadline for concluding the free trade agreement but

Have rescued 1309 Indians from Israel since start of Gaza war: Jaishankar

Gaza war: The UN Security Council will vote on Friday to urge an immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Qatar death row: Indian ambassador met 8 Navy veterans, says govt

The Indian ambassador to Qatar met eight former Indian Navy personnel on death row four days back and two hearings took place on an appeal filed against the capital punishment handed down to them by a Qatari court. Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Arindam Bagchi said this at a media briefing on Thursday. The Navy veterans were on October 26 given death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case. An appeal was filed against the death sentence by the family members of the Indians. "As you know, we filed an appeal that is from the families and the detainees. Two hearings have since been held. One, I think on November 30 and the other on November 23," Bagchi said when asked about the case. "I think the next hearing is coming up soon. We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance. Meanwhile, our ambassador got consular access t

India-Australia 2+2 dialogue: Foreign Minister Penny Wong arrived in Delhi

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has already arrived in India for the 2+2 dialogue

India is fastest growing large economy today: EAM Jaishankar in London

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, who is on a four-day official trip to the UK, celebrated Diwali by offering prayers at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple) in London

Message for Beijing

Indo-US geopolitical collaboration is expanding

EAM S Jaishankar meets family of 8 navy personnel, assures support

The eight former Indian Navy personnel were involved in providing training services to Qatar's armed forces

India carried out big operation to bring citizens from conflicts zones: EAM

He said that at any point in time, India has to take care of around 3.5 crore people outside the country, and this requires preparation on a daily basis

EAM Jaishankar to meet top Singaporean leaders to strengthen bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will meet Singapore's newly-elected President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and other senior leaders and review bilateral cooperation and explore opportunities for further collaboration, the foreign ministry said here. Jaishankar will visit Singapore from October 19 to 21, the ministry said in a statement. Jaishankar's visit reaffirms the close and longstanding ties between Singapore and India, which are built on a strong foundation of strategic trust, the Singapore Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. During the visit, Jaishankar will call on President Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, and Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean. Tharman assumed office as Singapore's president on September 14. Jaishankar will also meet Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam and ..

PM's stand on Hamas-Israel conflict seems different from MEA: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statements on the Hamas-Israel war seemed to convey a different position from the one articulated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He did not believe that the Indian government had sided 100 per cent with Israel, the former defence minister told reporters. The external affairs ministry's statement has established that India has always supported the Palestine cause, and we will continue (to do so), but we are against any organisation which is involved in (terror) attacks. But the prime minister's statement is that we are totally....he gave assurance to the (Israel) prime minister that we are with them, the NCP chief said. The Israel-Palestine issue is "serious and sensitive", and views of Muslim countries like Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and other nations cannot be ignored, he said. This is for the first time that the head of the state has taken one position and his minist

MoS Ranjan Singh, New Zealand PM take part in 1st India Business Summit '23

The summit was co-organised by the High Commission of India in Wellington and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce

Very compelling need for India, US to work together: EAM Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said there is a "very compelling need" for India and the US to work together, asserting that it's useful for Washington to have partners who think well of America and speak well of it. Jaishankar made the comments while responding to a question in a conversation at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Tuesday after addressing the UN General Assembly session. He will travel to Washington on Wednesday for bilateral meetings with US interlocutors. His program includes inter alia, discussions with his counterpart Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, senior members of the US Administration, US business leaders and think-tanks. "I do think today, the India-US relationship has to focus very, very strongly on technology. And I say that, because, in many ways, the balance of power in the world has always been a function of the balance of technology, but it is even more intense today. And the impact of technology on our everyday lives is ve

India, US discuss opportunities to further strengthen logistics cooperation

Underscoring the transformative momentum in the India-US relationship, officials of the two nations held discussions on opportunities to further strengthen interoperability and logistics cooperation. During the India-US 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue held here on Tuesday, the officials also discussed combined maritime engagements in the Indian Ocean Region, as well as expanded cooperation in the space and cyber domains, the Pentagon said. The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary Vani Rao of the Ministry of External Affairs and Joint Secretary Vishwesh Negi of the Ministry of Defence, it said. The American side was led by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Dr. Ely Ratner and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu. "The officials also discussed regional security developments and strategic priorities across the Indo-Pacific region," a statement said. The 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue advanced a wide range of ..

India-Canada rift bad for business; IT firms may struggle to land new deals

Canada makes up to 5-6 per cent of Indian IT companies' revenues. Top companies like TCS and Infosys have recently acquired work from Canadian government departments and organisations

EAM Jaishankar, Japanese counterpart discuss ways to bolster strategic ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa here for the first time and exchanged views on the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan and ways to further enhance bilateral ties. Kamikawa, a 70-year-old veteran lawmaker, succeeded Yoshimasa Hayashi as Japanese foreign minister in a Cabinet reshuffle earlier this month. "Delighted to meet Foreign Minister of Japan Yoko Kamikawa at #UNGA78," Jaishankar wrote on X. "Exchanged perspectives on our Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Discussed our regional, multilateral and global cooperation and taking them forward," he posted. Earlier, Jaishankar had a warm discussion with Quad colleagues to start his participation at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly. "Welcomed Japanese FM Yoko Kamikawa to the meeting. Discussed defending the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific and delivering on Quad commitments. Always value our ...

Indian IT cos don't see any immediate challenges due to India-Canada tussle

So far, both Canada and India have expelled senior diplomats in reciprocal moves. On Thursday, September 21, India temporarily suspended visa services for Canadian citizens

LIVE: Canada issues travel advisory for its residents going to India

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

India shares unique relationship with UNCITRAL: MoS Rajkumar Ranjan Singh

At the Conference, UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret gave an overview of the various projects and subjects undertaken by UNCITRAL through its Working Groups and the status of the same

India expanding influence, increasing weight in global order: Jaishankar

The EAM further said that cultural rebalancing is equally important and it is "not something which I would treat so much as an assertio'

G20 Summit: Chinese delegations refuse to cooperate with security over bags

The Chinese delegations' refusal to have their bags checked by security led to a 12 hour standoff at the Taj Palace