Latest news with #IMEEC
Hi Dubai
08-07-2025
- Business
- Hi Dubai
Dubai Customs Strengthens Trade Ties with India to Boost Regional Logistics and Economic Corridor
Dubai Customs has deepened its trade cooperation with India following a high-level meeting aimed at accelerating regional logistics and developing the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC). Led by Arti Agarwal Srinivas, Director General at India's Directorate General of Systems and Data Management, the Indian delegation met with Dubai Customs officials, including Director General Dr. Abdulla Busenad, to discuss advancing customs facilitation, digital data exchange, and supply chain efficiency. Representatives from DP World also joined the discussions. The talks focused on strengthening inter-MENA trade, streamlining clearance procedures, and expanding logistics services to boost the flow of goods between the two countries. Dubai highlighted its commitment to becoming a global trade and logistics hub as part of the Dubai Economic Agenda. A key initiative presented was the MAITRI platform, a single digital interface designed to integrate customs and port systems between the UAE and India. The platform aims to cut delays and costs, enhance data sharing, and unlock new logistics opportunities. Both sides reaffirmed their strategic partnership, with India recognizing Dubai's vital role as a trade gateway connecting Asia with the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. News Source: Dubai Media Office
India Gazette
22-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
India a good player for stability and future in West Asia, says Israeli envoy Reuven Azar
New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, on Sunday said that India is seen as a 'good and positive' player for peace and development in the West Asia region. Speaking about India's possible role in the current situation, Azar said, 'We see India as a good player, a player for stability, a player that is promoted to work with us and the rest of the international community to build a better future in West Asia. Once we have defeated this Iranian aggression, I think we will be in a situation where we will be able to promote peace in our region and many economic projects that India plans to be part of, like IMEEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor) and other projects of cooperation.' Azar's comments came in the context of US airstrikes on three of Iran's nuclear sites on Sunday. Reacting to the US operation, the Israeli envoy said, 'We thank President Trump for his bold historic move to remove nuclear capability from the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is not only an important move for Israel, but it's an important move for the region and the world. President Trump has defended civilisation by taking this decision.' He also explained the role of Israel's prior actions in enabling these attacks. 'Earlier, Israel took care of Iranian air defences in Iran and that allowed us to have freedom of action to hit the installations that were threatening our existence, those installations that were being built to carry through their promise to annihilate the State of Israel,' Azar said. Earlier today the Israeli Air Force launched a new wave of airstrikes targeting military sites in western Iran, shortly after Iranian missile attacks injured civilians in Israel. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, 'The IAF has begun a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran. Additionally, this morning, the IAF struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralised the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory a short while ago.' According to Israel's news agency TPS, missile impacts were reported in several parts of the country, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, and central Israel. Air raid alarms were heard again in northern regions, and residents were told to stay inside bomb shelters after another wave of missiles was detected.A Times of Israel report citing IDF confirmed its latest response, saying it hit primed missile launchers in fresh strikes on western Iran. A short while ago, ballistic missile launchers used in the attack on Israel this morning were destroyed in strikes, and Iranian soldiers were 'eliminated' as well, the Israeli publication citing the country's military forces said. According to a report by the Times of Israel, Israel's national emergency service, Magen David Adom (MDA), has updated the casualty numbers from the Iranian missile strikes. 'Magen David Adom raises the wounded toll of the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack to 16. A man in his 30s is moderately wounded by shrapnel, and 15 other people are lightly hurt, MDA says. Several missile impacts were reported in central Israel after sirens sounded. One missile hit Haifa, where no sirens sounded ahead of the impact.' Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Oren Marmorstein, condemned the Iranian actions. 'The Iranian regime is firing ballistic missiles at civilian population centres in Israel,' he said in a X post. During the intervening hours of Saturday and Sunday, US and Israel targeted Iran's nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. Fardow is Iran's main enrichment location for uranium enrichment to 60 per cent. According to a CNN report, the US likely used six B-2 bombers to drop a dozen GBU-57 A/B 'bunker buster' bombs, also known as Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), on the Fordow nuclear site, which is Iran's main location for uranium enrichment. A US official also told CNN that a full payload of bombs was dropped on his first public remarks following the strikes, President Trump warned that further action could be taken if Tehran fails to agree to a satisfactory peace settlement.'There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we've witnessed over the last eight days,' Trump said in his address to the nation from the White House on Saturday (local time). (ANI)
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
India backs Cyprus in its fight against Turkiye
Modi with President Christodoulides (left) during a visit to the Historic Centre of Nicosia. In the background is the Kyrenia mountain range, painted with the flags of Turkiye and the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. NEW DELHI: With Israel and Iran teetering on the brink of a full-blown war, PM Narendra Modi on Monday said resolving issues through dialogue and restoring stability was the cry of humanity. Speaking alongside Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia, Modi reiterated his message that this isn't the era of war. Modi's visit to Cyprus - the first by an Indian PM in 23 years - saw the two sides discussing efforts to scale up cooperation in defence, security and connectivity with focus on IMEEC, with the PM strongly backing sovereignty and territorial integrity of the eastern Mediterranean country that is not recognised by Turkiye, a Pakistan ally. "We both have expressed concern about the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe. Their negative impact is not limited to that region alone. We both believe that this is not the era of war," Modi said after his talks with the Cypriot president. Modi thanked Cyprus for its continued support to India's fight against cross-border terrorism and announced a new mechanism for real-time information exchange to counter terrorism, drug and arms smuggling. The president reiterated Cyprus's strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, backing India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a show of solidarity with Cyprus, Modi visited the Green Line - a UN-controlled buffer zone that separates Northern Cyprus, an area occupied by Turkish forces in 1974, from the Republic of Cyprus - along with Christodoulides. This is significant in the context of Turkiye's continued support to Pakistan that saw Ankara helping Islamabad militarily during the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Turkish President Recep Erdogan himself later said Turkiye would continue to stand by Pakistan, though "good times and bad". Modi also reiterated India's traditional support for Cyprus's unity and for a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus Question based on UN Security Council resolutions and international law. Several of these resolutions call for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from the island of Cyprus. "India reiterated its unwavering and consistent support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of the Republic of Cyprus. In this regard, both sides emphasised the need to avoid unilateral actions as essential for creating a conducive environment for the resumption of meaningful negotiations," said a joint statement. Modi said the two sides would prepare a roadmap to give a strategic direction to the partnership for the next five years. On the issue of terrorism, both sides reiterated in a joint statement their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, rejecting any justification for such acts, under any circumstances. "They emphasised that those responsible for the attacks should be held accountable," said the statement, while condemning the Pahalgam attack.
The Print
14-06-2025
- Business
- The Print
IMEEC to have profound impact on world connectivity, says Jaishankar
Highlighting the need for land, sea, and air connectivity 'in as many options and as many variants as possible,' Jaishankar told a panel discussion at the inaugural Raisina Mediterranean 2025 here, 'The connectivity initiatives, I think, have become a very important part of diplomacy today.' Even when the IMEEC is not in place as yet, Europe has a 'fairly ready and efficient access' to India's western coast, despite the threats by Houthis to shipping, he said. 'We are making very major investments in railways, and then trying to connect eastern India all the way to Vietnam.' Reminding the audience how the Suez Canal took ages to make, he said, 'But once it was done, you see what a profound impact it's had on the world. So actually, if we can pull that (IMEEC) off, you will get from Europe a route all the way to the Pacific, which will be significantly land based, but partly sea based.' 'And in some ways, it would be a counter to the reliance on the Arctic, whenever the Arctic opens up. The connectivity game is a long game,' he said. The India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) will comprise two separate corridors, the east corridor connecting India to the Gulf and the northern corridor connecting the Gulf to Europe. Marseilles (France), Jun 13 (PTI) Terming connectivity as an important part of diplomacy, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the IMEEC once completed will offer a significant land- and sea-based connectivity to Europe all the way up to the Pacific. On the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi in 2023, India, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the US announced an MoU committing to work together to develop the IMEEC. The two corridors intend to enhance connectivity, increase efficiency, reduce costs, secure regional supply chains, increase trade accessibility and generate jobs, resulting in a transformative integration of Asia, Europe and Middle East, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The panel discussion was themed 'The Next Special Relationship: Deepening the Strategic Partnership between the Indo-Pacific and Europe.' Jaishankar was joined by Ararat Mirzoyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia; Abigael Vasselier, Director Policy & European Affairs; Head of Programmes, Foreign Relations, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Germany, and Francesco Parisi, President and Managing Director of the Parisi Group of Companies, Italy. While answering a question by the moderator and without taking names, Jaishankar indicated trust-based equations with countries such as who stands by in times of difficulty will have consequences on choices for trade too. 'Trust means, intuitively, we are comfortable with each other … by having similar values, similar approaches, sometimes by saying, okay, in my difficulty, who supported me, or in my security needs, who was willing to go the extra mile? It makes a difference.' 'So, let us say we've just come out of some security episodes right now. When I look at who stood by us, who would I trust, with whom am I comfortable, it will surely have consequences on my choices and on my decisions,' Jaishankar said, apparently referring to the recent India-Pakistan conflict post the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. He had also pointed out how there's a realisation in Europe that a lot of its problems and solutions will have to be analysed and thought through by Europe itself and said, 'A Europe which is today more self aware, which is more self reliant, which is more strategically autonomous, will obviously want to look for partners who think similarly and can work with Europe in that respect.' 'And I think that gives a kind of an additional impetus to India-Europe relations which were evolutionary, but I predict a very sharp acceleration in that,' the EAM added. PTI NPK NPK NPK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
India, France agree to intensify defence, space, n-cooperation
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held wide-ranging discussions with French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot on a range of issues and the two sides agreed to intensify bilateral cooperation in areas like defence, security, space and civilian-nuclear collaboration. Jaishankar also expressed India's 'deep appreciation' to France for strong condemnation of the cross-border terrorist attack in Pahalgam and thanked Paris for its 'steadfast support for India's right to defend itself against terrorism'. Addressing a joint press conference in Marseille after the meeting, he underlined that there has been a 'very high degree of trust' between India and France over the years as one looks at their relationship and cooperation. He said the two sides also discussed global and regional issues like the situation in the Indian subcontinent, the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. 'It has always been our position that this is not an era where differences should be settled through war. We believe that dialogue and diplomacy is the answer… No solutions are going to come out of the battlefield has always been our position,' he said. Jaishankar said the two sides held 'wide-ranging discussions, which covered defence, civilian nuclear energy, space, counterterrorism, people-to-people relations, innovation, AI, technology'. 'And, we spent a little while discussing how between education, research, business and mobility, how we can really add new ways of adding more substance to our relationship,' he said. 'Defence, security, space, civilian nuclear cooperation, I think we agreed to intensify all of these through very concrete measures and projects in the time to come,' he added. Jaishankar said his conversations with Barrot also covered the IMEEC, and 'our triangular development cooperation, how do we take forward some of our trilateral mechanisms, we have one with the UAE, and with Australia'.
