1. Biggest bilateral trade pact between India, UAE comes into force
Tags: International Relations Latest
The historic India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which was signed between the two countries on 18 February 2022, officially came into force from 1 May.
Under the agreement, domestic exporters of products of textiles, agriculture, dry fruits, gems and jewellery will get duty-free access to the UAE market.
In a symbolic start to the implementation of the agreement, Commerce Secretary BVR Subramaniam handed over the place of origin certificates to three exporters from the gems and jewellery sector.
Under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), these consignments sent to Dubai will not attract customs duty.
Background
CEPA, a comprehensive path-breaking trade agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates, was signed on February 18 during a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The agreement was signed and exchanged by Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri.
Significance of the agreement
The agreement will provide significant benefits to Indian and UAE businesses, including increased market access and lower tariffs.
Through CEPA, the target is to increase bilateral trade from the current $60 billion to $100 billion in the next five years.
Overall, India will benefit from the preferential market access provided by the UAE on over 97% of its tariff lines.
2. Cabinet approves opening of Indian Mission in Lithuania
Tags: International Relations Popular
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the opening of a new Indian Mission in Lithuania in 2022.
It will help expand India's diplomatic footprint, deepen political ties and strategic cooperation, enable the growth of bilateral trade, investment and economic engagement.
It will facilitate stronger people-to-people contacts, allow more sustained political access in multilateral fora and help mobilise support for India's foreign policy objectives.
The Indian Mission in Lithuania will better assist the Indian community and protect their interests.
This will have a direct impact in increasing domestic production and employment in line with our goal of self-reliant India.
India - Lithuania
India recognized Lithuania (along with the other Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia) on 7 September 1991 following the acceptance of their independence by the then USSR.
India's diplomatic relations with Lithuania were established on 25 February 1992.
The Lithuanian language, the oldest surviving Indo-European language, has great similarities with Sanskrit, so it reflects ancient links with India.
3. Visit of Prime Minister of Mauritius to India
Tags: International Relations
Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth arrived in Mumbai on an eight-day visit to India.
Mr Jugnauth is accompanied by his wife Kobita Jugnauth and a high-level delegation.
He has visited India with an aim to further strengthen the ties between the two countries.
He will attend the inaugural program of Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
After this, on April 20, he will also attend the Global AYUSH Investment and Innovation Summit in Rajkot.
Bilateral relations between India and Mauritius
–India-Mauritius relationship is very significant for India’s geostrategic policies in the Indian Ocean Region.
–India and Mauritius jointly inaugurated an India-assisted social housing units project in Mauritius.
–both the countries signed a USD 100 million Defence Line of Credit agreement
–in 2019, the main import partners of Mauritius were India (13.85%), China (16.69%), South Africa (8.07%), and UAE (7.28%).
–India has been one of the largest trading partners and exporter of goods and services to Mauritius since 2007.
–India’s exports to Mauritius are largely of petroleum products.
4. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden hold Virtual Summit
Tags: Russia-Ukraine International Relations
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual summit meeting on 11 April 2022, with American President Joe Biden ahead of the 2+2 dialogue between India and the United States of America.
The situation in Ukraine and Russia was the main agenda of their discussion. Amongst the QUAD group of countries only India has not condemned and imposed any sanction on Russia. The other QUAD members like the US, Australia and Japan have imposed sanctions on Russia for its attack on Ukraine.
The United States wants India to condemn Russia for its attack on Ukraine, not to buy any oil from Russian companies, and put pressure on Russian President Putin to stop the war against Ukraine.
India has very close ties with Russia with around 60 to 70 % of its defence equipment are of Russian origin. Russia has also supported India in the past on crucial issues like Kashmir and against Pakistan.
India has so far abstained on every anti-Russian resolution in the United Nations and has remained neutral on the issue.
President Biden welcomed India’s humanitarian support for the people of Ukraine and called the Russian invasion a “horrific assault”. He said that the US and India are going to continue “close consultation on how to manage the destabilising effects of this Russian war”.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted India’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine and condemned the killing of civilians allegedly by the Russian troops in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.
5. 48th Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC held in Islamabad
Tags: International Relations
The 48th Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on 22 -23 March 2022. The session coincides with the 75th-anniversary celebrations of Pakistan's Independence Day.
The theme of the conference was :"Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development."
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan raised the Kashmir issue at the conference, saying the 57-member body has not been able to make any impact at all as it’s a "divided house".
China, though not a member of the OIC, was represented by its foreign minister Wang Yi who supported Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir .
India rejected the reference to Kashmir in the OIC declaration issued after the conference saying Kashmir was an integral part of India .
Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC)
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference was established by the First Islamic Summit Conference held in Rabat, Morocco, in September 1969.
It was set up to protect the interest of Muslims in the world.
Total Members : 57 countries
Headquarters : Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
India which has the third largest muslim population in the world after Indonesian and Pakistan is not the member of OIC.
6. India step up its effort to bring back Indians home from Ukraine
Tags: International Relations
In a Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government of India has announced a number of steps to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine safely to home.
The Government will send its four cabinet ministers as special envoy to the four neighbouring countries of Ukraine to coordinate the relief measures.
Civil Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will travel to Romania and Moldova,
Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju to Slovakia,
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri to Hungary and.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Civil Aviation Gen. V. K. Singh (retd.) to Poland.
The Ministry of External Affairs has been running helplines, and officials are posted at border checkpoints in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova. But the rush at these checkpoints, especially on the Poland-Ukraine border, has led to clashes and evacuees have had to wait for two or three days in freezing temperatures before making a crossing.
The ministers at the ground will help in the paperwork and expedite the process.
The Prime Minister also said that any citizens of neighbouring countries and developing countries who want to leave Ukraine will be helped by India in leaving Ukraine.
The Government of India will send the first consignment of relief materials including medicine on Ukrainian borders on the request of the Ukrainian ambassador to India, Igor Polikha.
According to the government of India, around 8000 Indians had left Ukraine before the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022. There are still 12,000 Indians in Ukraine. They are mainly medical students who went to Ukraine to study medicine.
The Prime Minister also called and thanked the Prime Minister of Slovakia Mr. Eduard Heger and Mr. Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă, Prime Minister of Romania.
