INDIA & THE WORLD BILATERAL AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2015
- Singapore names Special Envoy to assist AP
The Singapore government has appointed its Ambassador-at-large Gopinath Pillai as Special Envoy to Andhra Pradesh to render advice on various issues relating to the building of the new capital, including tourism and bringing in capital from foreign companies.
According to Shanmugam the joint working group of Andhra Pradesh and Singapore Governments would deal with the technical issues. It was working quite well and the draft report of the first phase of the Master Plan to build a world class capital would be submitted by June.
Apart from traditional models, there was a need to look at new models of sources for capital like international private equity.Single desk system would be introduced and clearances would be given in 21 days.
Edinburgh varsity inks 6 pacts with India
University of Edinburgh has signed four agreements with premier Indian institutes, according to its Principal and Vice-Chancellor Timothy O'Shea
Apart from signing a Letter of Intent with National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, it has forged partnerships with the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and Anna University in Chennai.
It also signed two more partnerships with Corbett Foundation in Mumbai and Christian Medical College in Vellore. The tie-ups, apart from student exchanges, would help boost research in areas such as biotechnology, engineering, genetics, genomics. - India, Nepal begin joint military drill
India and Nepal on 23rd February began a battalion-level combined military training exercise in Kathmandu, focussing on counterterrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the mountainous and jungle terrain.
The 8th 'Surya Kiran' exercise began at the Integrated Army Training Centre, Saljhandi, where the Nepalese contingent was represented by a battalion from an Infantry Division of Nepalese Army. The Indian side was represented by an equivalent strength from a Mountain Brigade.
The focus of the ongoing exercise is to carry out counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in the mountainous and jungle terrain and to practice facets of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, including actions to be taken during pandemic, epidemic and various other humanitarian assistance situations. viation aspects and environmental conservation are also included in the scope of this exercise
The two week-long exercise will see the contingents hone their tactical and technical skills in countering insurgency and terrorism. State-of-the-art equipment for surveillance and tracking, specialist weapons for close quarter battle with terrorists, explosives and IED detectors, as well as the latest communication equipment are being fielded by both sides.
The two countries will train, plan and execute a series of well-developed combined tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in counterterrorism and counter-insurgency operations. - Make in India: Turkey offers infra support
Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek is in India to enhance the annual volume of bilateral trade between India and Turkey, which currently stands at a mere $7.5 billion compared with the over 1.2 trillion dollars worth of total external trade done by both countries. Turkey imported $56 billion worth of oil last year. He said that every $10 decline in oil prices would reduce Turkey’s current account deficit by 0.5% of its GDP. - Jaishankar to begin ‘SAARC Yatra’ from Bangladesh
Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will begin his SAARC tour with a visit to Dhaka on March 2, followed by a visit to Islamabad, where he will resume India-Pakistan Foreign Secretary-level talks cancelled last year.
The decision to send Mr. Jaishankar was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he spoke to other SAARC leaders ahead of the World Cup in early February. At the time, he had informed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that he would be sending the new Foreign Secretary to Pakistan. - Pact with Singapore Company in water management
Rajasthan on 25th February signed a grant agreement with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) on water management and to develop capabilities in urban water management in the state. The agreement was signed in the presence of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Singapore Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam.
The Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) was set up by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore in 2006 to respond effectively to the multitude of foreign requests interested in Singapore's development experience.
SCE works closely with Singapore's 15 ministries and over 60 statutory boards to scope out and tailor possible solutions to match the needs of foreign governments, and help meet their development objectives.
SCE also serves as the focal point of access to expertise from Singapore across its public agencies."As part of the pact, Singapore Cooperation Foundation will provide assistance in advisory and capacity building programme for the water management and recycle of waste water," a statement said.
A series of workshops will be conducted to build capacity of 100 officials from public health engineering department (PHED) and other relevant departments of Rajasthan government with the help of Temasek Foundation.
Set up by Temasek, an investment company based in Singapore, Temasek Foundation is a Singapore philanthropic organisation that seeks to build a more prosperous, stable and connected Asia through building human and social capital.Singapore Cooperation Enterprise will be the lead agency to aggregate a team of experts from Singapore. - India and Maldives to boost bilateral relations
Aimed to boost the bilateral relations that are set to mark 50 years in November, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Maldivian counterpart Dunya Maumoon held talks on 15th January. According to reports, the duo exchanged pleasantries and discussed issues of bilateral interest to both sides.
The bilateral relations between India and Maldives have been strengthened by regular contacts at all levels. There is a regular exchange of high-level ministerial visits also. India and Maldives have consistently supported each other in multilateral fora such as the UN, the Commonwealth, the NAM and the SAARC. India was among the first to recognize Maldives after its independence in 1965 and to establish diplomatic relations with the country. India established its mission at Male in 1972. - Pakistan releases 172 Indian fishermen
Pakistan released 172 Indian fishermen on 15th February, as a goodwill gesture, two days after the Prime Ministers of both countries decided to resume high-level talks.
The fishermen had been held at the Malir and Landhi District Jails in Karachi for allegedly violating territorial waters in the Arabian Sea. - India, Lanka sign pact on nuclear energy
India and Sri Lanka on 16th February signed nuclear agreement. The commitment was made after an official meeting between visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The signing of an agreement on the ‘Peaceful uses of nuclear energy’ is also seen as an attempt to energise economic engagement between the two nations.
The agreement will facilitate cooperation in the transfer and exchange of knowledge and expertise, sharing of resources, capacity building and training of personnel in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including use of radioisotopes, nuclear safety, radiation safety, nuclear security, radioactive waste management and nuclear and radiological disaster mitigation and environmental protection.
There were also extensive discussions on enhancing connectivity and the possibility of opening more airports apart from the one in Colombo. IRCON taking up infrastructure development in Sri Lanka and the fishermen’s issue were also discussed at length. IRCON, originally the Indian Railway Construction Company Ltd, is a leading turnkey construction company in the public sector.
The Prime Minister also accepted an invitation to visit Sri Lanka, a visit that is expected to take place in the second week of March. Sirisena’s visit to India is his first international trip since assuming the President’s office about a month ago. - India, Sri Lanka sign three pacts
In a sign of a closer strategic partnership between Sri Lanka’s new government and India, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, which is Sri Lanka’s first nuclear partnership with any country.
Calling the bilateral agreement on civil nuclear cooperation “another demonstration of our mutual trust,” Mr. Modi said India and Sri Lanka had also agreed to expand defense and strategic cooperation, including a “trilateral format” with the Maldives.
Officials on both sides said the agreement on nuclear cooperation was an initial one and would not lead to the construction of nuclear energy reactors immediately. According to an official release, the agreement “would facilitate cooperation in the transfer and exchange of knowledge and expertise, sharing of resources, capacity building and training of personnel in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including use of radioisotopes, nuclear safety, radiation safety, nuclear security, radioactive waste management and nuclear and radio logical disaster mitigation and environmental protection.”
Srilanka’s new President Sirisena and Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the signing of three agreements on agricultural cooperation, a memorandum of understanding on Nalanda University and an agreement on cultural cooperation.
Analysis:
Relations between India and Sri Lanka have not just been reinforced during the visit of President Maithripala Sirisena but have also gained new direction and momentum. As Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour that has ethnic links to its most significant minority, India is a huge influence in the island nation’s political, economic, social and cultural consciousness, and its world view.
Of these, the agreement on Co-operation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was the most significant as it imparts a new strategic element to bilateral relations. Since 2010, Sri Lanka has wanted to utilise nuclear energy in industrial applications as well as in fields such as medicine and agriculture. Two years ago, Colombo had indicated it was exploring such an agreement with Islamabad, with which too it has a warm bilateral relationship. Its decision to move ahead on this front with India shows the maturity of the new Sri Lankan leadership and the importance it attaches to its relations with New Delhi.
The agreement envisages “exchange of knowledge and expertise, sharing of resources, capacity building and training of personnel in peaceful uses of nuclear energy”.
Two years ago, Sri Lanka had also expressed safety concerns arising from the geographical proximity of the Kudankulam nuclear reactors. That the signatory to the agreement on the Sri Lankan side was Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka who had voiced the concerns, shows that Colombo is now sufficiently reassured.
The two sides have also agreed to enhance their defence and security cooperation in the existing trilateral format with the Maldives. New Delhi should press any security concern it may have, such as that which arose with the docking of a Chinese submarine in the Colombo harbour, without dictating Sri Lanka’s choice of friends and allies.
The travails of fishermen on both sides of the Palk Bay received attention with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Sirisena pledging to resolve them in a “constructive and humanitarian” way. Sensibly, fishermen’s associations on both sides are to continue talks begun two years ago to find their own solution. There were no public statements on the Tamil question during the President’s visit. - Australia India Institute opens Delhi centre
Alex Chernov, Governor of Victoria inaugurated the Delhi centre of the Australia India Institute (AII) on 18th February. Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu said India was the best destination for Australian investment, particularly for its huge pension funds that have now grown bigger than the country’s GDP. - Israel Defense Minister in India
Israel on 18th December backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' pitch and said the maiden visit by its defense minister was a sign that the defense relationship was "out of closet" now.
Ya'alon, the first Israeli defense minister to visit India since the two countries established full diplomatic relations in 1992, is to attend the 'Aero India' show and hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar. It has been India's policy for long to keep the bilateral military ties under wraps due to international and domestic political sensitivities even though Israel is among one of the top defense suppliers to India.
The Israel minister said his visit was part of efforts to understand what can be done under the 'Make in India' initiative in a way that it can offer technological know-how in order to produce certain products in India. He hoped the issue of the ban on Israeli defense firm IMI would be "resolved in the near future". The Israeli minister said his country was "open" to all kinds of cooperation with India in the defense sector under the 'Make in India' initiative. - Sushma Swaraj meets top Omani leadership
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, on her first official visit to oil-rich Oman on 18th February met Omani Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah and reviewed bilateral political, economic, defense and security issues as well as the regional situation. Both the leaders discussed strategic aspects of relations as maritime neighbors.
This is Swaraj's third visit to the Gulf region. She had earlier traveled to Bahrain in September and the United Arab Emirates in November last year, indicating the high importance attached by the new government on India's relations with the strategic region, official sources said. - India to explore mineral deposits off Mauritius coast
India will soon start exploration of mineral deposits, mainly poly metallic sulphides, along the 10,000 square kilometre mid-ocean ridge off Mauritius, following approval from the International Seabed Authority (ISA)
The exploration activity would actually begin after the Government of India signs a 15-year contract with the ISA within a year.
The exploration is expected to lead to vast deposits of lead, zinc and copper, ranging from several thousand tonnes to about 100 million tonnes. It involves mixing hydrothermal fluids with the surrounding cold sea water, which leads to their precipitation onto the chimney vents and thereby the formation of massive deposits of lead, zinc and copper. - India, Singapore look to enhance ties
The visiting Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on 9th February.
The two sides had wide-ranging discussions on enhancing bilateral relations and strengthening cooperation on regional and international issues so as to raise the partnership between the two countries to a higher level
The discussions covered new focus areas that will directly feed into the development process. These include specific initiatives to develop smart cities and urban rejuvenation, promoting skill development, measures to speed up connectivity and coastal and port development, strengthening linkages with the North East of India, projects to scale up investments in the new development initiatives launched in India and enhancing exchanges with the Indian state. - Chambers sign pact to boost trade with Lanka
The Indian Merchants’ Chamber and the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote bilateral trade and investments in both the countries.A business delegation representing different segments including spices, herbal product, dry fruit, aerosol products, cosmetic chemicals, engineering and fabrication and IT/ITES visited Sri Lanka to explore various opportunities. In the first seven months of this fiscal, Indian exports to Sri Lanka grew 14 per cent to $3.71 billion while imports were at $327 million, up seven per cent. - Israel offers expertise to clean up Ganga
In an effort to deepen economic cooperation, Israel has offered its expertise and technological capabilities to India in its ambitious drive to clean up the Ganga.A preliminary offer on this was made when Amit Lang, Director-General of the Ministry of Economy, Israel, met Indian officials on 10th February. Israel has made significant technological advancement in desalination and drip irrigation with the world’s largest desalination plants and recycles 90 per cent of water for agricultural needs. - TAPI project: India pushes for early appointment of consortium leader
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on 11th February pitched for early selection and appointment of a leader to head the consortium of companies to build the ambitious cross-country Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline.
Pradhan, in Islamabad to attend the 20th meeting of theTAPI Steering Committee made a renewed pitch for the expeditious appointment of a mutually acceptable Consortium leader which is a vital step in the implementation of the project in a time-bound manner
Talks over the $10-billion pipeline project are currently stuck over the appointment of a leader of the consortium of state-owned gas utilities of the four nations, including India’s GAIL (India) Ltd, to build the pipeline. The project aims to transport 90 mscmd of gas over 30 years from Turkmenistan to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan. - Cricket Semiconductor invests in MP
US-based Cricket Semiconductor has committed an investment of $1 billion (over Rs 6,000 crore) to set up the country’s first analog electronic chip-making plant in Madhya Pradesh.
The company will work on the detailed project report under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) of the Centre for the first six months and then start work on the plant. - External Affairs Minister Sushma visit to China
To resolve the border issue, with China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit to that country for boundary dialogue. India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who is visiting China has made ground work for the visit of Modi to China before May 26th of this year. In her visit during talks-
- Both sides concluded the exchange of notes on the new alternative route for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim.
- The journey time from the Nathu La pass will be reduced to 12 days, compared to the 22 days it takes through the Lipu Lekh pass in Uttarakhand.
Sushma Swaraj announced a six point proposal to realize with China. Listing out the proposals in alphabetical order A-F, Ms. Swaraj stressed that-- New Delhi-Beijing ties can reach the next level if both sides enforce an action- oriented approach and a broad-based bilateral engagement.
- The two countries need to achieve “convergence on common regional and global interests” and “develop new areas of cooperation”.
- The two sides needed to “expand strategic communication” and “fulfill the common aspiration to usher and ‘Asian Century’
- On its part, China acknowledged the Sino-Indian relations had entered a new period of “major-country relations,” a nuanced formulation reserved to describe Beijing’s ties with regional and global heavyweights, including the United States.
Asian Trination’s discussion:
India, Russia and China have decided to fight against Terrorism, and also to end the era of unipolar world. The discussions were held in China’s capital on 2nd February. The foreign minister of three countries i.e. Russia-India-China (RIC) have participated in discussion (Foreign Ministers are Sushma Swaraj, Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi). The group issued a comprehensive joint communiqué that called for an ambitious reform of an international system that was respectful of the diversity of home-grown political systems.
The communiqué recommended India’s inclusion in an expanded Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a 21-nation grouping of Pacific Rim countries. The Ministers endorsed India’s impending membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) after elevating the grouping, which is pillared by Russia, China and most of the Central Asian States as “one of the key instruments in promoting multilateral political, security, economic and humanitarian interaction in the region.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which India is joining soon, has been holding major counter-terrorism exercises, in anticipation of the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
Recognizing the threat to stability posed during Afghanistan’s upcoming transitional phase, the three Ministers called for supporting the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), in tune with the withdrawal of the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Without specifying the “Pivot to Asia” doctrine of the U.S., which involves concentration of forces on China’s periphery, a joint statement by the RIC grouping called for advancing talks in the East Asia summit framework on rule-based security architecture in the Asia-Pacific, driven by the United Nations.
China and Russia have already signed a $400 billion long term energy deal that would ensure supply of gas for 30 years to the Beijing-Tianjin –Hibei industrial belt through the “Power of Siberia” pipeline. The two countries have also signed, in principle, a similar agreement that would bring gas from Russia’s Yamal Plateau to China along the western Altai route.
India’s oil giant ONGC Videsh has also been involved in negotiation for a foothold in the Arctic shelf. The joint communiqué also called for the immediate reform of the international financial system to increase the voice and representation of emerging markets and developing countries, with a focus on the implementation of the 2010 IMF Quota and Governance Reform by the end of this year.
The three Ministers stressed the need for international financial institutions to provide more resources to promote development. As the Ukrainian crisis swirls and Moscow faces economic curbs, the three Ministers made it plain that they “opposed forced regime change in any country from the outside or imposition of unilateral sanctions based on domestic laws”.
Sushma discussion with Chinese President:
India’s foreign Minister SushmaSwaraj met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and conveyed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China this year. - France offer for nuclear agreement
France has expressed an opinion that the Indo-U.S. agreement on nuclear liability could apply to other nations. It’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius has met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of state for Environment Prakash Javadekar on 5th February to discuss issue.
India and France already have a civil nuclear cooperation under which the French company Areva is to set up six nuclear reactors in Jaitapur.
In a joint statement last February after the visit of President François Hollande to India, there was a reference to the ongoing collaborative projects on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and India and France agreed to further strengthen bilateral civil nuclear scientific cooperation.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in February 2009 between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and AREVA for setting up 6x1650 MWe EPR (EPR is a third generation pressurised water reactor (PWR) units at Jaitapur. - Quality Council of India inks MoU with US body
Quality Council of India (QCI) has joined hands with American Society for Quality (ASQ) to improve the quality of goods and services provided by Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The MoU was signed by QCI Chairman AdilZainulbhai and ASQ chief AmitChatterjee in the capital
This alliance is part of strategic plan to implement and boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative. This MoU is expected to help institutionalize new quality paradigms in the field of training and delivery processes in manufacturing, healthcare, education, service industry and public services delivery processes.
The prime objective of this alliance is to focus on quality of goods and services, said Zainulbhai, adding that the initiative will target manufacturing and services sector. Efforts will be made to improve quality in 1 million SMEs in the country in next few years. - Tata agreement with KION group for WAN services
Tata Communication on 6th February has signed a USD 20 million multi-year deal with Germany-based KION Group to provide global wide area network (WAN) services to the group's 330 sites across 30 countries. As part of the deal, Tata Communications will replace the KION Groups existing stable of multiple WAN providers with a single global network
The new network will form an important pillar of the KION Groups strategy 2020 plan to create economies of scale across the entire group with its six global and regional brands. The KION Group is the second largest global manufacturer of forklift trucks and warehouse technology.
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