Strategic Affairs Archives - Page 3 of 303

20 Aug

Iran’s President says negotiation with US does not mean surrender

Tehran, Aug 20 (IANS) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that negotiating with the United States did not mean surrender. At a conference in Tehran on Wednesday (local time), Pezeshkian stressed the need to defend Iran's territorial integrity, according to a statement posted on his office's website. "In the process of negotiations, we are moving forward step by step at the height of our power and while maintaining wisdom, dignity and expediency," Pezeshkian said. "Our goals have been to end the war, lift the (anti-Iran naval) blockade, release the country's frozen assets and, then, (hold) nuclear talks," he noted. US…

20 Aug

US-North Korea dialogue key first step to halting Pyongyang’s nuclear program: South Korea’s Unification Ministry

Seoul, Aug 20 (IANS) Direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang are the first step toward halting North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said on Thursday. He made the remarks while meeting with reporters at the government complex in Seoul, amid speculation that US President Donald Trump might seek to rekindle his personal diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which produced three bilateral meetings during his first term. "The first gateway to stopping North Korea's nuclear program is a meeting between the two sides, and we should work hard to support it," he said. "Halting the program…

20 Aug

India, Japan reaffirm commitment to deepen bilateral defence cooperation

Tokyo/New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) India and Japan on Thursday welcomed the steady strengthening of bilateral defence cooperation, including engagement between their respective ministries and services, based on shared strategic perspectives under the 'Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership' which constitutes one of the pillars for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. In a joint statement issued after the Japan-India Defence Ministers’ Meeting between Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, in New Delhi, the two sides stressed the importance of sharing assessments of the regional and international security environment amid heightened global tensions. They also expressed…

20 Aug

North Korea fires barrage of short-range ballistic missiles despite Trump overture

Seoul, Aug 20 (IANS) North Korea fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, despite a recent olive branch offered by US President Donald Trump, who signalled a willingness to reengage with the North's leader Kim Jong-un. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected roughly a dozen short-range ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area at around 5 pm, adding that further analysis is under way in cooperation with the United States. The military has stepped up surveillance and vigilance for possible additional launches while closely sharing related information with the US and…

20 Aug

India and Singapore take partnership forward during Ministerial Roundtable

Singapore, Aug 20 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday said that India and Singapore concluded a "very productive" Ministerial Roundtable meeting in Singapore. Along with EAM Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State (MoS) for Commerce and Industry; Electronics and Information Technology, Jitin Prasada, participated in the high-level 4th India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR). EAM Jaishankar also thanked Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs K Shanmugam, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo, and Minister for Transport…

19 Aug

India, Japan to hold talks on deepening defence ties, ‘Make in India’ initiative (Lead)

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi here on Thursday to further strengthen bilateral defence relations, enhance strategic trust and cooperation, promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region, and identify new areas of collaboration, according to a Defence Ministry statement issued on Wednesday. The two ministers will exchange views on deeper maritime security cooperation and closer defence equipment and technology collaboration under the ‘Make in India’ framework, following Japan’s revision of the 'Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology'. The meeting provides an opportunity to…

19 Aug

After San Francisco tech meets, Gujarat CM heads to Washington DC

San Francisco, Aug 19 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister, Bhupendra Patel, on Wednesday concluded the San Francisco leg of his US visit and departed for Washington, D.C., where the state delegation is set to continue its outreach to investors, technology companies and other industry leaders ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2027. Before leaving San Francisco, Patel and members of the Gujarat delegation visited the Consulate General of India, where Consul General Dr K. Srikar Reddy received them. The visit marked the conclusion of the delegation's engagements in the San Francisco Bay Area, which included meetings with the Gujarati diaspora…

19 Aug

J&K an ‘important part’ of India, US will reconsider travel advisories: Envoy Gor

Srinagar, Aug 19 (IANS) US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, who arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday on his maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir, said that the United States will reconsider advisories on travel to the Union Territory, adding that that Jammu and Kashmir is an important part of India. After meeting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the US Envoy said: "It's a pleasure to be here. US will reconsider its advisories on travel to Jammu and Kashmir. This is an important part of India." "I am here, visiting for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place. I am…

18 Aug

Over 52 including children injured in grenade blast near Kabul school

Kabul, Aug 18 (IANS) Over 52 people, including children, were injured in Afghanistan following a grenade explosion near the Sham-e Hedayat private school in Dasht-e Barchi area of western Kabul, local media reported citing security officials and witnesses. Taliban police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said that the blast was caused by a hand grenade, but provided no further details about who was carrying the grenade or how it detonated. According to witnesses, the grenade exploded while in the possession of a school student, who was also wounded in the blast. The circumstances under which the student acquired the grenade and why…

18 Aug

PM Modi has played transformative role in development of India: Israeli envoy

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, on Tuesday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hailing the "transformative role" played by him in the development of India. Recalling PM Modi's historic address during a Special Plenary of the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier this year - the first by an Indian Prime Minister at the Israeli parliament - the Israeli diplomat, in a special chat with the IANS, said that people of Israel admire the Indian leader, just like he is adored by many other countries in the world. "There's no doubt that Prime Minister Modi has played…