Bilateral Relations

POSITING INDIA’S STAND ON THE UKRAINE WAR

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 …

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BIMSTEC

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: …

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S-400

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 …

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G-20: INDIA’S PLATFORM FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

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 …

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EXERCISE COBRA WARRIOR

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 …

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MARITIME SECURITY: (IFC-IOR)

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 …

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CROSS-BORDER DIGITAL PAYMENT OF INDIA

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, …

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UPI MAY EXTEND TO UAE, MAURITIUS & INDONESIA

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. …

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FRANCE -BURKINA FASO MILITARY AGREEMENT

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 …

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US-CHINA RELATIONS

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 …

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1ST MEETING OF G20 CULTURE WORKING GROUP BEGINS

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 …

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INDIA-RUSSIA-OIL-UN

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 …

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VOSTRO ACCOUNTS

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 …

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UNGA RESOLUTION ON RUSSIAN WAR

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 …

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N-TREATY – RUSSIA & USA

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 …

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