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Yogesh Gupta
Former Ambassador
The visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to India soon after his remark that “India is currently an object of the western countries’ persistent, aggressive and devious policy to engage it in anti-China games” was of considerable interest as it alluded to an assessment on Moscow’s part that despite some differences, its relationship with New Delhi was too important and needed further nurturing.
India, on its part, sent signals through the visits of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who attended the 75th World War II Victory Day parade on June 24, 2020, in Moscow; External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, who attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Russia-India-China (RIC) Grouping meetings in September 2020; and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla in February 2021, conveying that it was keen to continue its ‘time-tested relationship’ with Russia despite the warming of its ties with the US.
India, France explore ways to boost cooperation in Indo-Pacific
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Last Updated: Apr 13, 2021, 08:40 PM IST
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In the talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French side also decided to be part of India s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
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The two foreign ministers held extensive talks covering all aspects of the bilateral strategic ties as well as regional and global challenges.
India and France on Tuesday explored ways to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, including under a trilateral mechanism with Australia to address emerging challenges in the maritime and space domains.
Le Drian is on a three-day visit to India from April 13-15, 2021. It will be the first high-level physical interaction between India and France since the outbreak of the Covid-19.
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday met Jean-Yves Le Drian, minister for Europe and foreign affairs of France here. The information about the meeting was shared through the Twitter handle of Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, India. EAM @DrSJaishankar welcomes Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France @JY LeDrian, tweeted Bagchi.
EAM @DrSJaishankar welcomes Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France @JY LeDrian https://t.co/MsQyfzdzAb Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) 1618292999000
New Delhi [India], April 13 (ANI): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday met Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France here.
BIMSTEC needs to reinvent itself
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The grouping, a work in progress, has several obstacles to overcome
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The grouping, a work in progress, has several obstacles to overcome
The foreign ministers of BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) met virtually on April 1. That they made time to hold their 17th meeting is good news. They advanced the agenda, which had been arrested by the pandemic, since the last ministerial meeting held in August 2018. Their major task was to pave the way for the next summit, the grouping’s fifth, due to be held in Sri Lanka in the “next few months”.