Bilateral Relations

On February 23, 2023, on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution, calling for an end to the war. The resolution was favoured by 141 members and opposed by seven, while 32 states abstained. Unsurprisingly, India was …

India hosted the first meeting of the Governing Board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC). India made a presentation on establishing the BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) in India. The BEC will be housed in the premises of the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Bengaluru. The Meeting recommended to add the additional following areas under the specialized Wings of BEC: …

Deliveries of five regiments of S-400 air defence systems under a $5.43-billion deal with Russia are expected to be completed by year-end or early 2024, according to official sources. However, issues of delayed payments as well as insurance and reinsurance remain major stumbling blocks delaying deals in the pipeline Delivery …

The G-20 was born out of the Asian financial crisis 25 years ago. It was upgraded to convene heads of government after a global financial and economic crisis a decade later. Today, however, the organisation that styles itself as the ‘premier forum of international economic cooperation’ appears to be descending …

An Indian Air Force contingent comprising 145 Air Warriors departed Air Force Station Jamnagar today for participating in Exercise Cobra Warrior at the Waddington Air Force Base of the Royal Air Force in United Kingdom. The exercise is scheduled from 06 Mar 23 to 24 Mar 23. The Exercise Cobra …

In order to further the existing cooperation in the realm of maritime safety and security, IFC-IOR signed an MoU on 21 Feb 2023 with Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC), Seychelles. IFC-IOR, hosted by the Indian Navy, was established by the Government of India at Gurugram on 22 Dec 2018 to …

Transferring money to a relative studying or living in Singapore or receiving remittances from a family member working in the Southeast Asian city-state just got a whole lot simpler. On February 21, the Reserve Bank of India Governor, Shaktikanta Das, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Managing Director, Ravi Menon, …

The environmental costs of the conflict are likely to far outlive the fighting itself with Ukraine’s current claims of compensation for environmental damage standing at over $ 50 billion. As the first anniversary of the war between Russia and Ukraine arrives, the true costs of the war are slowly dawning upon the …

After Singapore, the RBI is in talks with several countries, including Indonesia, UAE and Mauritius, for establishing a direct payment link of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with networks in these countries to enable quicker and cheaper fund transfers using mobile phones. Some Latin American countries have also shown interest. …

A study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revealed that the effect of the vaccine administered to protect children against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) tends to start waning after two years. It suggests administering a booster dose to all children in endemic regions to protect them against …

As Part Of The Military Outreach To Asean Nations An Indian submarine has, for the first time ever, docked in Indonesia, which is among the countries locked in a maritime dispute with China in the contentious South China Sea, as part of the continuing overall diplomatic-military outreach to Asean countries. …

On February 19, Burkina Faso announced an official end to the operations led by France in the country. France had signed a military agreement with Burkina Faso in 2018 to achieve stability against the threat of Islamist militant groups. France signed a series of similar agreements with other West African …

In the first visit by a top Indian official to China in more than three years, the two countries have discussed proposals for disengaging in the two remaining friction areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to create conditions to “restore normalcy” in relations. Joint Secretary (East Asia) in …

The recent US shooting of alleged Chinese spy balloons highlighted growing distrust between the two countries. How US shooting of alleged Chinese spy balloons? There has been a lot of speculation in the media about both the balloons and the US response. We’ve seen arguments that the balloon was an …

The first three day meeting of the G20 Culture Working Group began in Khajuraho on Wednesday, underlining India’s commitment to repatriating lost heritage to the country. Ahead of inagurating a specially curated exhibition of 26 repatriated artefacts including the 10th century stone sculpture of the ‘Parrot Lady of Khajuraho’, the …

Germany has sought India’s support for the resolution in UN General Assembly condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine on the first anniversary of war. India can perhaps held find a solution at some stage to end the conflict. Russia-Ukraine conflict and China’s increasing assertiveness in the IndoPacific will be high on …

Last week, government officials informed that 20 Russian banks, including Rosbank, Tinkoff Bank, Centro Credit Bank and Credit Bank of Moscow have opened Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVA) with partner banks in India. All major domestic banks have listed their nodal officers to sort out issues faced by exporters under …

France is in talks to convince India to shift its position on the Russian war in Ukraine a year into the conflict, urging the Narendra Modi-led government to vote for a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution due to be tabled this week that will call for a cessation of …

The project to link both the fast payment systems was initiated in September 2021 to facilitate faster, more efficient and transparent cross-border transactions relating to trade, travel and remittances between the two countries. The move will also help the Indian diaspora in Singapore, especially migrant workers and students through instantaneous …

Russia suspended a landmark nuclear arms control treaty, announcing that new strategic systems had been put on combat duty, and threatening to resume nuclear tests. Nearly a year after ordering an invasion that has triggered the biggest confrontation with the West in six decades, Russia would achieve its aims and …