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Business Standard
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
India, Australia ties see enormous growth, diversification: Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said India and Australia have witnessed an "enormous deepening and diversification" of bilateral cooperation in the last five years, and reaffirmed commitment to look at areas such as critical minerals, cyber, technology, and space as further domains of collaboration. Addressing an event at the Australian High Commission here to mark the fifth anniversary of India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he also said the reason behind this "dosti" has actually been the "strong leadership that we have seen from both countries". Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, who is on a visit to India, was also present on the occasion. Jaishankar said "here we are -- not just with a transformed relationship", but actually marking five years of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. "I think these have been five great years in our ties. Many more to come," he said. Earlier in the day, the Australian leader said Canberra's relationship with New Delhi is of the "highest priority" and that it is profoundly significant to Australia's national interest. Jaishankar said that in the last five years, "we have seen an enormous deepening and diversification of our cooperation". "So, I am here today to reaffirm, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister, a strong commitment to take this relationship to still greater heights, to look at areas like critical minerals, cyber, technology, space, sports as further domains of collaboration, and to work on mechanisms -- most of all the Quad, but in the East Asia Summit platforms, the Indian Ocean Rim Association, the United Nations, even the trilateral grouping that we have with France," he said. India and Australia on Wednesday resolved to further boost their strategic ties with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailing Canberra's unequivocal support to New Delhi's resolute response to the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack. Singh held wide-ranging talks with his visiting Australian counterpart focusing on various aspects of bilateral defence cooperation as well as New Delhi's "extreme challenges" along its border with Pakistan. "...Today we saw one example of that as the Deputy Prime Minister reiterated the strong sense of solidarity and support that we got when the Pahalgam terrorist attack happened, and I recall that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, despite being in the middle of a very intense election campaign, actually reached out and called Prime Minister Modi to express those sentiments," Jaishankar said in his address.
Al Etihad
22-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
UAE renews commitment to development, prosperity in Indian Ocean Region at Annual IORA Meeting
22 May 2025 12:56 ABU DHABI (WAM)The United Arab Emirates participated in the 24th Council of Ministers Meeting and the 27th Committee of Senior Officials meeting for the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which were both held virtually from May UAE delegation was led by Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs at the UAE's Ministry of Foreign the meetings, which were chaired by Sri Lanka and held under the theme of "A Sustainable Indian Ocean for Future Generations", the UAE highlighted its commitment to achieving sustainability goals and effectively addressing global challenges, including climate Hajeri underlined the UAE's commitment to effective participation in multilateral organisations and to support the efforts of the IORA to harness the opportunities of the Indian Ocean in a sustainable manner for the comprehensive development of current and future generations. The UAE joined IORA in 1999 and chaired the Organisation between 2019 and 2021. IORA was established in 1997 to promote regional cooperation, prosperity, and growth in the Indian Ocean region through joint action in areas such as maritime security and safety, trade and investment, fisheries management, disaster risk management, tourism and cultural exchange, academic, scientific and technological cooperation, women's economic empowerment, and the 'blue' economy. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
India Gazette
21-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
India participates in 24th IORA Meeting, adopts Colombo Communique
New Delhi [India], May 21 (ANI): The 24th Meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers, hosted virtually by Sri Lanka on Wednesday, brought together high-level representatives from across the region under the theme 'Sustainable Indian Ocean for Future Generation.' The Indian delegation was led by P Kumaran, Secretary (East), who represents India as the current vice-chair and a member of the IORA Troika. Member States adopted the 'Colombo Communique' and held wide-ranging discussions on matters of regional interest and strengthening IORA. The Ministry of External Affairs, in a press release, said, 'The 24th Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Meeting of the Council of Ministers (COM), hosted by the IORA Chair Sri Lanka, was held virtually on 21 May 2025 under the theme: 'Sustainable Indian Ocean for Future Generation.' P Kumaran, Secretary (East), led the Indian delegation at the 24th meeting of IORA COM.' It added, 'India is currently the Vice-Chair of IORA and part of the Troika. India will assume the Chairship of IORA for 2025-2027. The 24th COM meeting saw the participation of Ministers and High-level delegates from all 22 IORA Member States and IORA's 12 Dialogue Partners. During the meeting, the Member States held discussions on strengthening IORA, matters of regional interest and adopted the 'Colombo Communique'.' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said P Kumaran reaffirmed India's strong commitment to upholding the Indian Ocean Region's vision. In a post on X, Jaiswal said, 'Secretary (East) P Kumaran represented India at the 24th IORA Council of Ministers meeting and reaffirmed India's strong commitment to upholding our vision of the Indian Ocean Region. He reiterated that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, including state-sponsored cross-border terrorism, poses a serious threat to peace, security and development of the region, and must be unequivocally condemned.' P Kumaran, in his statement, underscored India's commitment to the well-being and progress of nations of the Indian Ocean, in alignment with India's Vision of the Indian Ocean Region. 'He noted that cooperation, collaboration and concerted efforts among Member States, are essential to reach convergence on issues of common interest in the Indian Ocean Region. Secretary (East) affirmed that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, whether state-sponsored or carried out by individuals, poses a serious threat to peace, security, and development of the region, and must be unequivocally condemned,' the MEA added. (ANI)
India.com
21-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
In Absurd Act, Pakistan Brings Up Indus River Issue At UNSC Amid Maritime Security Debate
United Nations: While the Security Council was debating maritime security and expressing concern over terrorism on the seas, Pakistan tried to bring up a river issue, the Indus water. That was in keeping with Islamabad's total obsession with matters relating to India, regardless of the topic of discussion, which often makes for a theatre of the absurd. Without directly naming India but referring to it as 'one major country', Pakistan's Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said it 'displayed a concerning propensity to usurp and weaponise shared natural resources -- including transboundary rivers -- in flagrant breach of treaty obligations and the principles of good neighbourliness'. After the terrorist group, The Resistance Front, based in and backed by Pakistan, massacred 26 people in Pahalgam last month, India put the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance. Smarting under the action, Ahmad said India was 'leveraging geography' to "the detriment of the lower riparian state that is Pakistan'. By avoiding mentioning by name, and using innuendos, he tried to avoid India using the right of reply to expose the assertions. India's Permanent Representative P. Harish, who spoke in the session, contemptuously ignored it. Ahmad pouted over Pakistan's exclusion from the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), a 23-member group of nations that, besides cooperating on a range of maritime issues, also take a strong stand against terrorism. The 'coercive diplomacy' of 'the one major country' has led to 'the systematic exclusion of neighbouring states from regional maritime security frameworks, including the Indian Ocean Rim Association', he griped. India took the initiative to found the IORA and objects to Pakistan's membership because of its terrorism links. As Pakistan is unable to afford an aircraft carrier and is dependent on the arms alms of China and Turkey, Ahmad also complained about what he called the 'aggressive naval expansion' by the 'one major country'.
Zawya
02-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
6th BIMSTEC Summit to convene in Bangkok on April 4, focusing on trade, security, regional cooperation
Dhaka: The 6th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is set to take place on April 4 in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme "Prosperous, Resilient, and Open BIMSTEC," a release from the BIMSTEC Secretariat stated. The summit, hosted three years after the 5th Summit held virtually in Colombo IN 2022, will be preceded by a meeting of BIMSTEC Senior Officials on April 2 and a meeting of BIMSTEC Foreign or External Affairs Ministers on April 3. According to the release, the summit aims to strengthen collaboration among the seven member states--Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand--to tackle shared security and developmental challenges. It will feature a robust agenda, including the adoption of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit Declaration, reflecting the leaders' vision and directives, and the Bangkok Vision 2030, a pioneering roadmap for future cooperation among member states. Key agreements slated for signing include the Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation, aimed at boosting cargo and passenger transport across the Bay of Bengal to enhance trade and travel. Additionally, Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) will also be inked between BIMSTEC and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), marking the beginning of new developmental partnerships, the release stated. The summit will also see the adoption of the Rules of Procedure for BIMSTEC Mechanisms, complementing the BIMSTEC Charter to solidify the institutional framework for regional cooperation, and the Report of the Eminent Persons Group on the Future Direction of BIMSTEC. The group, after six meetings in 2024 and consultations with stakeholders, finalised its recommendations in September 2024, with member states already initiating implementation steps. In the context of a rapidly changing global political and economic landscape, the 6th BIMSTEC Summit is expected to reinforce the organisation's role as the sole regional body in the Bay of Bengal, fostering cooperation to address security and sustainable development challenges. Bringing together five South Asian and two Southeast Asian nations, BIMSTEC is poised to emerge as a dynamic regional entity. Since its inception in June 1997, BIMSTEC has held five summits--in Bangkok (2004), New Delhi (2008), Nay Pyi Taw (2014), Kathmandu (2018), and Colombo (2022)--with the upcoming summit marking a pivotal moment in shaping its future agenda across seven key sectors: Agriculture and Food Security, Connectivity, Environment and Climate Change, People-to-People Contact, Science, Technology and Innovation, Security, and Trade, Investment and Development, alongside eight sub-sectors including Blue Economy and Disaster Management. © Muscat Media Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
