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Tag: jaishankar

  • Blinken may meet Modi during India visit next week

    Blinken may meet Modi during India visit next week

    Jaishankar and Blinken have met thrice in the past one year, with the latest coinciding with the Indian foreign minister’s visit to the United States in May…reports Asian Lite News.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is likely to visit India on his maiden trip next week since assuming charges under the Biden Administration in January.

    While Blinken would hold a bilateral discussion with India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar the US diplomat may also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit, which could be between July 27 and July 28. However, an official announcement on the visit is awaited.

    Jaishankar and Blinken have met thrice in the past one year, with the latest coinciding with the Indian foreign minister’s visit to the United States in May.

    During the visit, the two leaders spoke on a wide range of issues, including Covid-19 relief, efforts to strengthen Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad initiative, the security situation in Afghanistan and combatting climate change, among others.

    The Quad, also known as Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India during which the countries discuss economic and military cooperation.

    Blinken and Jaishankar may talk on a range of issues in New Delhi, including Covid-19 vaccines, the security crisis in Afghanistan in the aftermath of US troop pullout and China assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

    Blinken would be the second top official of the Biden Administration to visit India after US Secretary of Defence Llyod J Austin flew to New Delhi in March.

    Blinken’s visit also assumes in significance ahead of the Quad summit in October when US President Joe Biden would host the leaders of Australia, India and Japan.

    US to continue expand India ties

    The Biden Administration is expected to continue expansion of the bilateral partnership with India and the driving force of the relationship is concern about China’s growing economic and military power in the region, according to a Congressional report.

    “Many speculate that the Administration would pay more attention to India’s domestic developments, including on human rights, but considered broad policies unlikely to change due to the perceived overarching need to counterbalance China, said the latest report on India-US relationship released by independent Congressional Research Service.

    Independent observers widely expected the Biden Administration to continue expansion of the bilateral partnership (with India), and most saw concern about China’s growing economic and military power as the driving force of the relationship, said the report by the CRS, which is traditionally prepared for the American lawmakers to make informed decisions.

    CRS reports, prepared by independent experts, are not considered as an official report or view of the US Congress. Of late, the US Congress has been making many of these reports public.

    Many analysts laud an expected US return to multilateralism – especially given India’s recently warmer sentiments toward the Quad initiative – and were eager to see the extent to which the Administration would commit resources prioritising the Indo-Pacific region in its foreign policy, said the report authored by several South Asia experts led by Alan Kronstadt.

    The US, Japan, India and Australia had in 2017 given shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the “Quad” or the Quadrilateral coalition to counter China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.

    In March, President Joe Biden virtually met Quad leaders, including Narendra Modi, during the first Summit of the bloc where he said that a free and open Indo-Pacific is essential for all and the US was committed to working with its partners and allies in the region to achieve stability.

    China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

    Beijing has also built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are also vital to global trade.

    The report notes that despite many areas of sometimes serious discord, the US Congress has remained broadly positive in its posture toward the US-India strategic and commercial partnership. The Biden Administration has indicated that it intends to maintain the expansion and deepening of US-India ties.

    Congressional legislation and oversight has and can continue to affect the course of US-India relations, including in areas such as resourcing for a US Indo-Pacific strategy, trade and investment (including bilateral defense trade) relations, immigration policy, nuclear proliferation, human rights, and cooperative efforts to address COVID-19 and climate change, among many others, it said.

    Observing that President Biden was a strong and consistent advocate of positive US-India relations and US support for India during his 36-year Senate career, the CRS notes that some analysts expect pressure to come on India in issues related to human rights private rather than public channels, with at least one contending that such messaging will be predictable, but inconsequential.

    CRS said that defence trade has emerged as a key aspect of the bilateral partnership. New Delhi seeks to transform its military into one with advanced technology and global reach, reportedly planning up to $100 billion on new procurements over the next decade to update its mostly Soviet-era arsenal.

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  • Jaishankar, Wang Yi likely to meet on margins of SCO meeting

    Jaishankar, Wang Yi likely to meet on margins of SCO meeting

    Jaishankar and Wang are in Dushanbe to attend meetings of the SCO foreign ministers and the SCO Contact Group on Afghanistan, reports Asian Lite News

    External affairs minister S Jaishankar is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the margins of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in the Tajikistan capital on Wednesday, people familiar with developments said.

    Jaishankar and Wang are in Dushanbe to attend meetings of the SCO foreign ministers and the SCO Contact Group on Afghanistan. Besides the India-China standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that has dragged on for more than a year, they are expected to discuss the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

    There was no official word from both countries on a meeting between the two foreign ministers. This will be their first in-person bilateral meeting since last September, when they held talks on the margins of another SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Moscow.

    The meeting in Moscow had resulted in a five-point roadmap for resolving the standoff on the LAC, which is yet to be fully implemented. Under that roadmap, the two sides had agreed not to let differences to become disputes, and to quickly disengage on the LAC and maintain proper distance between their troops and ease tensions.

    The two ministers further agreed that both countries would abide by all existing agreements and protocols on boundary affairs, maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas and “avoid any action that could escalate matters”. They also agreed to continue talks through diplomatic and military channels, and to work towards new confidence building measures for the border areas once the situation eases.

    After a limited drawdown on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake in February, the two sides have been unable to make headway on disengagement of troops at other friction points in the Ladakh sector despite more rounds of diplomatic and military talks.

    The Indian side has sought to play down the prospect of a meeting between the two foreign ministers in Dushanbe because it is unlikely to result in any significant forward movement in addressing the situation on the LAC, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.

    Jaishankar has repeatedly said China’s unilateral actions, including massing troops on the LAC, attempting to alter the status quo and the clash at Galwan Valley last year that resulted in the first fatalities since 1975, have disturbed overall bilateral relations. He has also said a normal relationship can be restored only if there is peace and tranquillity on the border.

    China, on the other hand, has called for the border issue to be set aside while the two countries take forward relations in other areas such as trade and investment. This has been taken as a sign in New Delhi that Beijing isn’t interested in speedily resolving the LAC standoff.

    The situation in Afghanistan too is expected to figure in the meeting between the two foreign ministers. China has sought to play a role in the war-torn country by holding meetings with the Taliban and other players but its efforts have not led to any success.

    Jaishankar meets Atmar

    Meanwhile, S Jaishankar on Tuesday met his Afghanistan counterpart, Mohammad Haneef Atmar, in Dushanbe and discussed the situation in the war-torn country.

    “Began my Dushanbe visit by meeting with Afghan FM @MHaneefAtmar. Appreciate his update on recent developments. Looking forward to the meeting of the SCO Contact Group on Afghanistan tomorrow,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    The SCO contact group meeting on Afghanistan assumes significance as it comes amidst growing global concerns over Taliban fighters rapidly seizing control of areas in Afghanistan.

    India has evacuated nearly 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar in the wake of intense fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban militants.

    India has been a major stakeholder in peace and stability of Afghanistan. New Delhi has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.

    Talks with Uzbek counterpart

    Jaishankar on Tuesday met his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov in Dushanbe and discussed the situation in war-torn Afghanistan.

    “Met FM Kamilov of Uzbekistan today. Discussed connectivity, bilateral ties and the Afghanistan situation. Look forward to attending the Tashkent Connectivity Conference,” Jaishankar tweeted after meeting Kamilov.

    ALSO READ-India, Russia ties among world’s steadiest, says Jaishankar

    READ MORE-Jaishankar to attend SCO Foreign Ministers meet in Tajikistan

  • Jaishankar to attend SCO Foreign Ministers meet in Tajikistan

    Jaishankar to attend SCO Foreign Ministers meet in Tajikistan

    His visit comes at the invitation of Sirojiddin Muhriddin, the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan which is the chair of the SCO this year….reports Asian Lite News

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Tajikistan on July 13-14 to take part in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers.

    His visit comes at the invitation of Sirojiddin Muhriddin, the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan which is the chair of the SCO this year.

    The meeting will discuss the achievements of the organization as it celebrates the 20th Anniversary of its formation this year, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday.

    It will also assess the preparation for the upcoming SCO Council of Heads of States scheduled to be held on September 16-17 in Dushanbe.

    The SCO Foreign Ministers will also exchange views on current international and regional issues.

    According to the MEA, Jaishankar will also participate in the SCO Contact Group on Afghanistan on July 14. The group’s meet will see the participation of the Afghanistan Government.

    The meeting is significant as it comes at a time when Afghanistan is wracked by a military offensive against the government by the Taliban.

    The SCO grouping has 8 member states–Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

    Mongolia, Belarus, Afghanistan, and Iran are observer countries. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Cambodia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.

    Jaishankar’s Tajikistan visit comes days after he undertook a three-day visit to Russia from July 7-9. He also visited Georgia. (India News Network)

    ALSO READ: India, Russia ties among world’s steadiest, says Jaishankar

  • India, Russia ties among world’s steadiest, says Jaishankar

    India, Russia ties among world’s steadiest, says Jaishankar

    EAM says Russia has regularly demonstrated an ability to influence outcomes across regions and issues, reports Asian Lite News

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described India-Russia ties as among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after World War II.

    “Russians will surely recall the ups and downs in their ties with the United States, Europe, China or Japan, or for that matter, Turkey and Iran. On their part, objective Indians would also recognize that this was the case with them as well. Where India-Russia bilateral ties are concerned, there have been changes — even issues — from time to time,” the EAM said in his speech on India-Russia ties in a changing world,” at IMEMO, Moscow.

    As for Russia, he said its inherent strength as a Eurasian and Euro-Pacific power and its long-standing global status — whether as a P5 or what we can call as N2 — makes it unmistakably critical to the world order.

    The EAM said Russia has regularly demonstrated an ability to influence outcomes across regions and issues. Its salience in domains that matter, like energy or technology, is especially noteworthy.

    “Both nations have evolved even as our existence has become more globalized economically, connected virtually and driven technologically. It is not just that India and Russia are a good fit; it is equally that this continues dynamically even as both of them and the world itself undergo continuous changes,” Jaishankar said.

    He described acceptance of multi-polarity is what suits the contemporary relationship of the two countries.

    “To my mind, at the core of our contemporary relationship is the embrace of multi-polarity, both as a reality and as an aspiration. It is this conceptualization that has enabled us to smoothly maintain our relationship in comparison to others. Such an outlook guides our interaction with other nations and groupings and is obviously universal in application. It follows logically that a multi-polar world must have a multi-polar Asia as an essential constituent. In the last few decades, India and Russia may have pursued their national trajectories energetically. But at the same time, they have harmonised them well, both intuitively and as a policy. Related to this is the rebalancing of the global order — economically, politically, even culturally,” he said.

    “We have been respectful, I would even say we have been appreciative, of each other’s identities and interests. Because there is no burden of history nor an ideological agenda, this too has been a comfortable and a reassuring exercise. Nevertheless, it is apparent that the weight of the variables in the world’s equation has changed, though again I would caution against being overly deterministic. Together, what this means is that our relationship rests on the foundation of a more democratic and diverse international order, one that is committed to sovereign equality of all states. An important reason why India and Russia readily accept multi-polarity is their strong sense of independence. Perhaps, such self-confidence is a natural outlook for large polities with a long history, a rich culture and a deep-rooted identity,” the EAM said.

    “Foundation of our ties with China has been disturbed”

    Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar said that the relationship between India and China has been disturbed due to border clashes between both countries in 2020 in eastern Ladakh.

    “For the last one year there has been a lot of concern regarding the relationship and China did not respect the border agreements it signed up to. For the first time in 45 years, there were incidents at the border with casualties. Peace and tranquility at the border are the fundamentals of a relationship between any neighbouring countries. Naturally the foundation has been disturbed, so has the relationship,” Jaishankar said.

    Jaishankar’s observation came in response to a question on how India views the rise of China. He said that there has been a rise of new powers after several nations won their independence from colonial rule all over the world.

    “China is part of an exception and China is part of a trend as well, because of its history, scale and power today. For us (India), it is a natural happening to some degree because we see ourselves in a similar situation. The timing may show we are a few years behind and the pace and intensity of it may be slightly different but broadly in the same time span India’s position vis-a-vis the world has also changed,” Jaishankar said.

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  • Indo-Pacific collaboration key to recovery: Jaishankar

    Indo-Pacific collaboration key to recovery: Jaishankar

    Noting that the Covid-19 had brought out many inadequacies in the global health system and the resulting debates are taking place elsewhere, the EAM said…reports Asian Lite News.

    Even as the world deals with a global pandemic, the collaboration among the governments, businesses, medical and scientist professionals of the Indo-Pacific region will lead to a post-pandemic economic recovery, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday.

    Speaking at the inaugural session of the 1st edition of the Indo-Pacific Business Summit, Jaishankar said, “Indo-Pacific reflects the reality of globalization, the emergence of multi-polarity and the benefits of rebalancing. It means the overcoming of the Cold War and a rejection of bipolarity and dominance. Most of all, it is an expression of our collective interest in promoting global prosperity and securing the global commons. The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative advanced by India clearly validates this assertion.”

    Noting that the Covid-19 had brought out many inadequacies in the global health system and the resulting debates are taking place elsewhere, the EAM said, “Whether it is the next wave, the next pandemic or indeed something quite different, part of the answer lies in greater international collaboration. By that I mean the working together not just of Governments, but of businesses and the medical and scientific professions.”

    Further the minister noted that the compulsions of the Covid era have all made us much more digital. “This may be literal in terms of contact tracing and vaccination registration; facilitative in terms of home delivery and virtual calls; or just a lifestyle, in case of Work From Home. New opportunities and efficiencies have been discovered in that process. And accordingly, the risks too have magnified,” he said.

    Pointing out that high-speed internet, cyber security, enhanced digital literacy, deeper technical cooperation, regional e-commerce, and efficient e-governance will have a more salient place in the conversations in the coming days, he said, “The strengthening of digital connectivity both within and between the countries of the Indo-Pacific is an essential condition for our economic prosperity and development. Like minded countries must work together for data driven digital development partnerships. The templates of that could draw on the framework that governs existing development partnerships.”

    Besides, Jaishankar said that the Covid pandemic may have slowed the building of the global economy and the promotion of economic recovery; it has obviously not stopped it. This is, therefore, an occasion to reflect, perhaps introspect on how to build greener. Many of us have national programmes to that end and collaborating more closely is obviously to our mutual benefit, he said.

    “Our collective efforts can certainly re-define the quality of infrastructure and indeed the nature of urbanization. They can make agriculture more sustainable and harness the Blue Economy more seriously. Physical and digital connectivity remain important for supporting shorter, efficient and diversified supply-chains, risk mitigation, enhanced trade facilitation, and reduction in the costs of intra-regional trade,” Jaishankar added.

    In this context, the EAM shared how India is responding to the challenges of recovery and re-building. “We have reformed even as we have rebuilt. On health, our programme of wider health coverage has been accelerated by the rapid expansion last year of the health infrastructure. Currently, mass vaccination and addressing the ongoing wave are the focus. But the goal is to transform the sector entirely by augmenting human resources, equipment and capacities,” he said.

    On the digital side, the EAM said that the expansion of connectivity, a skills initiative and a start-up culture are helping to change the game. On infrastructure, a range of initiatives and reforms that are unfolding even as we speak will surely spur greater investment.

    Besides, on agriculture, empowering farmers and enabling freer trade has been matched by a stronger commitment to post-harvest infrastructure. And across 13 key sectors, performance-linked initiatives promise to upscale manufacturing. Bold measures have just recently been taken to promote tourism, he said.

    “And all of this is encapsulated by a framework that envisages an India of deeper strengths, greater capacities and more responsibility. And not least, in making it much easier to do business,” the minister added.

    In his concluding remarks, the minister said, “International cooperation, especially among businesses, will be very much a key to the better world that we all seek. The Indo-Pacific – a region in which we are so deeply invested historically – will be an arena of particular activity and energy.” (India News Network)

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  • Jaishankar to visit Russia for two days on Wed

    Jaishankar to visit Russia for two days on Wed

    The statement said that Jaishankar will speak on ‘India-Russia ties in a Changing World’ at the prestigious Primakov Institute of World Economy & International Relations in Moscow…reports Asian Lite News.

    External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will go to Russia on a two-day official visit on Wednesday.

    A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said that during the visit from July 7 to 9, Jaishankar will meet his counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation.

    The discussions are expected to cover the entire range of bilateral issues, including cooperation in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic as well as exchange of views on various regional and international issues, the ministry said.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_81_Ebo51vc

    Jaishankar will also meet the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Yuri Borisov, his counterpart for the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). He will also have a meeting with the chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Leonid Slutsky.

    The statement said that Jaishankar will speak on ‘India-Russia ties in a Changing World’ at the prestigious Primakov Institute of World Economy & International Relations in Moscow.

    The visit will be in continuation of the frequent high-level visits between the two nations. The Russian Foreign Minister had visited New Delhi in April this year. Jaishankar’s visit will further strengthen the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ between the two countries, the statement said.

    Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin had in a phone conversation reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the special and privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India in all spheres.

    The last meeting between the two leaders was held in Vladivostok in September 2019. President Putin is scheduled to visit India later this year.

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  • India has largest solar programme, says Jaishankar

    India has largest solar programme, says Jaishankar

    Agreeing with Blair, Jaishankar said: “It is the burning issue right now and it will not happen unless enough capabilities are spread around the world and vaccines are a very good example.”…reports Asian Lite News.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said India has been pushing a lot of green energy projects and that it has the world’s largest solar programme.

    “India, on its part, has been pushing a lot of green energy projects, one in India itself. Today, we have one of the largest solar programmes in the world and we have also been using both bilateral partnership programmes and International Solar Alliance to push green electricity generation, especially in Africa,” the EAM said while participating at India Global Forum 2021.

    “We finance development using soft loans by eschewing lending. We could actually take the world in a certain direction so if we did more green lending, the world will be moving in that direction,” he added.

    The EAM, however, said: “There aren’t too many climate sceptics in our part of the world. In fact, there will be more in the developed countries. The issue isn’t recognising the problem, it is resourcing the solution. And the real worry is if you look at the history of how we have dealt with climate change, we have seen promises year after year, conference after conference, we have seen a continuous inability to live up to the promises.”

    “I don’t think the activity today should be to raise awareness and tell people that we have a big problem. The real issue is do we have a commitment to put into the resources to deal with that? And that’s something which particularly the countries which have occupied a lot of carbon space have to find answers to,” he added.

    Meanwhile, speaking on the private sector rising to the challenge of climate change, Blair said: “India is going to carry on great. I mean, by the middle of the century, India, China and America are going to be the three largest economies of all. If we want India to grow sustainably, we have got to be there as a partner in helping it to do so.”

    On the issue of COVID-19, Blair called it a “geopolitical issue” and highlighted that the world is still dealing with new variants in countries like India, UK, Brazil and South Africa. He added that “we are likely to get new variants”.

    vaccine

    “We have to back vaccines, we have to carry out vaccine production and we have to coordinate that vaccine production so that we are creating enough vaccines to, I would like to say, at least the most vulnerable, the frontline health workers and the working populations vaccinated this year and then the job completed by next year,” he said, while stressing that the best for this is presenting global cooperation as enlightened self-interest.

    Agreeing with Blair, Jaishankar said: “It is the burning issue right now and it will not happen unless enough capabilities are spread around the world and vaccines are a very good example.”

    He said that the world has to come together to scale up COVID-19 vaccines and address other challenges at the same time.

    “We are still in the middle of a second national wave. At one level, it was a very scary experience in which the virulence was so great, but on the other hand, we did see the world rally around. That may not have solved the problem, but at least now I would say compared to last year, 2021 was the beginning of the willingness of the world to work together on this problem,” he remarked.

    The External Affairs Minister said that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken health right up the priority list, citing African nations working with India to strengthen health infrastructure.

    Weighing in on the future of global governance, he asserted that the new world agenda is much greener, health-conscious, much more digital.

    Arguing that India is proposing reforms of the multilateral institutions beyond merely seeking an expansion of the permanent members in the UN Security Council, Jaishankar said, “75 years is a long time. It needs a refresh. It needs an update. We need a new agenda, system and process out there. We can’t have people who benefited at one point in history from a certain set of circumstances who can kind of freeze it and say that’s how the world’s going to be forever”.

    During the conversation, Jaishankar also jumped into the Big Tech debate which has been raging particularly in India in the last few months. Without explicitly referring to the Indian government’s steps to hold these companies accountable, Jaishankar opined that they need to accept more responsibility.

    “Big Tech is there. It is visible in my life. You have a big presence. Where is the responsibility? They have huge power. Where is the accountability? This is not an issue limited to India. They harvest all data across the world. What happens when you have non-state players who in some way are bigger than many many states? So these are very serious questions that need debating. I think they can’t be brushed under the carpet saying you shouldn’t question them because you are attacking freedom of speech. I think that’s a cop-out because it serves their interests,” EAM S Jaishankar noted. (INN)

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  • Raab, Jaishankar discuss regional issues

    Raab, Jaishankar discuss regional issues

    Meanwhile, Raab said London and New Delhi’s friendship is invaluable as the two countries tackle common challenges together from COVID-19 to climate change…reports Asian Lite News.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and held a discussion over progress in Afghanistan and the situation in Myanmar.

    Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said he and Raab discussed the state of the world, regional issues, COVID-19 and climate action.

    “Met U.K. Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab this morning. Reviewed the progress of our bilateral Road Map. Discussed the state of the world, regional issues, Covid and Climate Action,” he tweeted.

    Meanwhile, Raab said London and New Delhi’s friendship is invaluable as the two countries tackle common challenges together from COVID-19 to climate change.

    Jaishankar and Raab are in Rome to attend the G20 ministerial meetings.

    “At the G20 today @DrSJaishankar & I spoke about the UK-India 2030 Roadmap, progress in Afghanistan & the situation in Myanmar. The UK Flag of United Kingdom & India Flag of India friendship is invaluable as we tackle common challenges together, from Covid-19 to climate change, so we can #BuildBackBetter,” Raab tweeted. (ANI)

    ALSO READ-Jaishankar aims at citizen-friendly passport services

    READ MORE-Jaishankar highlights need for vaccine equity, fair travel regime

  • EAM leaves for G-20 ministerial meetings in Italy

    EAM leaves for G-20 ministerial meetings in Italy


    The MEA Spokesperson further informed that the EAM will embark on a journey to Italy to attend the G20 Ministerial meetings…reports Asian Lite News.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will embark on a two-day visit to Greece on June 25. He will also visit Italy to attend the G-20 Ministerial meetings scheduled to be held on June 28-29.

    In a media briefing held on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar will be leaving tomorrow for a visit to Greece and Italy.”

    The EAM will be making a bilateral visit to Greece on June 25-26 where he will have talks with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias, apart from other engagements.

    This will be the first External Affairs Minister’s level visit to Greece since 2006.

    The MEA Spokesperson further informed that the EAM will embark on a journey to Italy to attend the G20 Ministerial meetings.

    “After Greece, the EAM will travel to Italy to attend the G20 Ministerial meetings. These include meetings at foreign minister’s level as well as development minister level, both of which will be handled by the EAM,” Bagchi said.

    The G20 Ministerial Foreign Ministers’ meetings and Foreign and development joint meetings are scheduled on June 28 and June 29 in Italy.

    The Summit of the G20 Heads of State and Government will be held in Rome on October 30 and 31, 2021.

    The ministerial meetings are organized independently from the Summit, where the Heads of State and Government endorse some of the key outcomes achieved by the Ministers.

    “We will continue to bring you updates as the visit commences,” he added.

    Earlier this month, Jaishankar visited Kenya on a three-day bilateral summit to strengthen India’s relations with the major East African country. (INN)

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    READ MORE-Jaishankar aims at citzen-friendly passport services

  • Jaishankar aims at citizen-friendly passport services

    Jaishankar aims at citizen-friendly passport services

    In February this year, the Ministry integrated the Passport Seva Programme with DigiLocker bringing about a major digital transformation in delivery of Passport services, the Minister stated…reports Asian Lite News.

    Stating that the mandate of the Government is to ensure efficient governance and timely, effective, assured, transparent and accountable public service delivery, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday called for making the passport service more citizen-friendly.

    “The mandate of our Government is to ensure efficient governance and timely, effective, assured, transparent and accountable public service delivery,” said Jaishankar in his keynote address on Passport Seva Divas 2021 on Thursday.

    “As we move ahead on the path of progress, we should take stock of the steps in the realm of passports that would make it not only more citizen-centric but also citizen-friendly,” he added.

    “Towards this end, our first approach was to bring in simplification of the passport rules and processes,” the Minister pointed out.

    “However, as the process is dynamic, we should continue to look deeper and deliberate further on reducing the compliance burden on our citizens,” he noted.

    “The Ministry also made concerted efforts, in close collaboration with the Department of Posts, to further strengthen the outreach of passport services to the citizens by establishing Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) all across the country,” Jaishankar said.

    “This endeavour has resulted in expanding network of Post Office Passport Seva Kendras across the length and breadth of this country,” he added.

    The Ministry of External Affairs has leveraged the use of technology and digital systems into its’ functioning, including, especially, in delivering passport services, the Minister said.

    “Our continuing consolidation and expansion of Passport services has ensured that there is a Passport Kendra in 489 Lok Sabha Constituencies in the country,” he said.

    It is also noteworthy that two ‘All Women Passport Seva Kendra’ became operational at Delhi and Cochin, marking the International Women’s Day on 8 March 2021 and extending passport services exclusively to our sisters, daughters and mothers, the External Affairs Minister informed.

    Continuing with its global outreach exercise, he said that the Ministry has integrated 174 Indian Embassies and Consulates abroad with the Passport Seva Programme enabling a centralized passport issuance system for our citizens in India and Diaspora abroad.

    In February this year, the Ministry integrated the Passport Seva Programme with DigiLocker bringing about a major digital transformation in delivery of Passport services, the Minister stated.

    This has enabled citizens to submit various documents for obtaining Passport services through DigiLocker in a paperless mode, he mentioned.

    https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1407951117833490436

    Noting that the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) has successfully completed a decade in service of our citizens, Jaishankar informed that annually over 1 crore passports have been issued for three consecutive years till 2019.
    “Despite the pandemic, we continued to deliver passports in a timely manner and hope to reach pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible,” he said.

    Emphasizing on the word ‘Seva’ as contained in the ‘Passport Seva Project’, the Minister said, the attributes of being responsive, caring, considerate, and transparent are necessary for every ‘Sevak’.

    He hailed all the personnel involved in rendering passport and related services for their collective dedication to the citizens of the country, despite the challenges and restrictions posed by the continuing pandemic nationally and globally. (INN)

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