logo
Delhi, Beijing ties eased, India-China-Russia troika could resume: Russia Minister

Delhi, Beijing ties eased, India-China-Russia troika could resume: Russia Minister

India Today3 hours ago

The stalled work of the Russia-India-China (RIC) troika could be restarted as the tension between New Delhi and Beijing has eased 'significantly', Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.Speaking at the 'Forum of the Future-2050' here, the Russian foreign minister also said the resumption of joint work in RIC format could be the first step towards pan-Eurasian processes, including the formation of a multi-polar architecture.advertisement"I really hope that we will be able to restore the work of the Russia-India-China trio. We have not met at the level of foreign ministers for the last couple of years, but we are discussing this issue with my Chinese colleague and with the Indian head of the External Affairs department,' Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russia's state-run TASS news agency.
'I really hope that now that the tension has eased, in my opinion, has eased significantly on the border between India and China, and the situation is stabilising, there is a dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing, we will be able to resume the work of this Russia-India-China trio," he added.Following the deadly Galwan Valley standoff between the militaries of India and China in 2020, the RIC troika has not been very active.advertisementLavrov said that Russia and China can and should play a leading and proactive role in the pan-continental process, including in the formation of a multi-polar architecture, and added that the restoration of the RIC format could act as the first step towards this.'This will also be a very important step forward in the movement of continental processes,' he added.The two-day forum inspired by Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, often dubbed as President Vladimir Putin's 'guru', has attracted young participants.Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's father Erol Musk is also attending the forum.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

S Jaishankar welcomes Belgium's support and solidarity in combatting terrorism
S Jaishankar welcomes Belgium's support and solidarity in combatting terrorism

Time of India

time43 minutes ago

  • Time of India

S Jaishankar welcomes Belgium's support and solidarity in combatting terrorism

BRUSSELS: External affairs minister began his visit to Belgium on Monday with a meeting with deputy prime minister and foreign minister Maxime Prevot. The discussions focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation and combating terrorism. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He appreciated Belgium's support in combating terrorism and welcomed their solidarity and emphasised the strong momentum in the India-EU partnership, highlighting the potential for collaboration in clean energy, mobility, and pharmaceuticals. The two leaders discussed deepening cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, technology, defense, and security. Sharing the details in a post on X on Monday, EAM said, "Pleased to meet DPM & FM @prevotmaxime at the start of my visit to Belgium. Welcomed Belgium's support and solidarity in combatting terrorism. Appreciated the strong momentum of our bilateral engagement and the India - EU partnership. Also held wide - ranging discussions on deepening our cooperation including in trade, investment, technology, defence & security, pharmaceuticals, clean energy and mobility. " Jaishankar's visit to Brussels comes three months after Princess Astrid of Belgium led a 300-member economic mission to India. The recent visit by Princess Astrid, who met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar, discussed key areas such as labor migration, pharmaceuticals, defense, diamonds, space exploration, and green energy. Interestingly, Jaishankar's visit coincides with the detention of fugitive Indian diamantaire Mehul Choksi in a Belgian jail. Choksi, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of Rs 13,850 crore, was arrested in mid-April on India's extradition request. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now India has an extradition treaty with Belgium, and the government is likely to pursue Choksi's extradition during the EAM's visit. Jaishankar is on an official visit to France, the European Union (EU), and Belgium from June 8 to 14, 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs announced in a press release on Sunday. The visit marks a significant step in further strengthening India's strategic partnerships with Europe. The EAM will first travel to Paris and Marseille, France, where he will hold bilateral discussions with the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean Noel Barrot. The EAM will hold a Strategic Dialogue with the EU High Representative and Vice President Kaja Kallas. According to the MEA press release, "India-European Union strategic partnership has strengthened over the years across diverse sectors and got a big boost with the first-ever visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February this year." Jaishankar will also meet senior leadership from the European Commission and European Parliament and interact with think tanks and media. MEA in its statement noted that the Belgium leg would also see the EAM meet members of the Indian community during his visit. The MEA highlighted, "India and Belgium share warm and friendly relations along with a very robust economic partnership. Today the collaboration between the two countries spans various domains like trade and investment, green energy, technology, pharmaceutical, diamond sector and strong people-to-people ties." The Ministry of External Affairs emphasized that the visit is expected to further deepen India's friendly relations with the European Union, France and Belgium and give renewed momentum to ongoing cooperation in diverse areas.

India-EFTA trade pact to come into force by September, says Piyush Goyal
India-EFTA trade pact to come into force by September, says Piyush Goyal

India Gazette

timean hour ago

  • India Gazette

India-EFTA trade pact to come into force by September, says Piyush Goyal

Bern [Switzerland], June 9 (ANI): The landmark free trade agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is set to become operational by September, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced on Monday during his visit to Switzerland. EFTA is an inter-governmental organization set up in 1960 for the promotion of free trade and economic integration for the benefit of its four Member States - Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Under the comprehensive pact, EFTA nations have committed to investing $100 billion in India over 15 years. Through reduced or eliminated tariffs, India is expected to provide preferential access to various European products, including Swiss watches, chocolates, and cut and polished diamonds. Speaking to reporters in Bern, Goyal said the agreement has secured parliamentary approval from all four EFTA member countries, 'By September, TEPA will be operationalised. It will enter into force,' the minister stated. He noted that while Switzerland maintains an objection period open until July 10, the summer holidays of July and August are not expected to delay implementation. During his Swiss visit, which focused on strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, Goyal held meetings with over a dozen companies These companies have expressed particular enthusiasm for opportunities in a range of sectors including pharmaceuticals, cybersecurity, and machinery manufacturing sectors. 'There's tremendous excitement here for India,' Goyal observed, highlighting Switzerland's growing confidence in India as an investment destination. Beyond the EFTA agreement, India is actively pursuing trade partnerships with other countries. Goyal revealed negotiations with New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Oman, and the European Union. He said EU trade pact could be finalised 'faster than expected.' The minister also indicated progress on a bilateral investment treaty with the EU. Goyal emphasised India's manufacturing potential, particularly in machinery production, where the country allows 100% foreign direct investment. This strategy aims to reduce India's dependence on Chinese machinery for imports while positioning the country as a manufacturing hub. He cited the air conditioning sector as a success story, where government initiatives like the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme have increased local manufacturing content from 20% to 65%, with targets to reach 80% within three years. Reflecting on India's economic progress under 11 years of NDA governance, Goyal said the country has emerged as a premier global business destination. He highlighted the presence of nearly 2,000 Global Capability Centres in India, underscoring the nation's emergence as a preferred location for both manufacturing and services. 'The world today recognises that the best place to do business is India,' Goyal said, attributing this transformation to sustained good governance and strategic policy implementation. The EFTA agreement represents another step in India's broader strategy to diversify trade partnerships and integrate more deeply into global value chains while attracting significant foreign investment to fuel domestic economic growth. (ANI)

Army to get new air defence boost with Rs 30,000 crore QR-SAM deal
Army to get new air defence boost with Rs 30,000 crore QR-SAM deal

Time of India

time2 hours ago

  • Time of India

Army to get new air defence boost with Rs 30,000 crore QR-SAM deal

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry will soon take up the case for a preliminary nod to a Rs 30,000 crore proposal to procure three regiments of the new indigenous quick reaction surface to air missile (QR-SAM) systems for the Army. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Rajnath Singh-led defence acquisitions council will consider granting acceptance of necessity (AoN) for the highly-mobile QR-SAM systems, which are designed to intercept hostile fighters, helicopters and drones at a range up to 25-30 km, later this month. The move comes soon after India's existing multi-layered air defence network played a crucial role in thwarting multiple waves of Turkish-origin drones and Chinese missiles launched by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor - the May 7-10 hostilities. The and the Army have over the last three-four years tested the QR-SAM systems against high-speed aerial targets mimicking various types of threats to evaluate their capability under different day and night operational scenarios. Defence PSUs Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics will co-produce the QR-SAM systems. "The QR-SAM systems can operate on the move with search and track capability and fire at short halts. They are tailor-made to move along with tanks and infantry combat vehicles to provide them air defence in the tactical battlefield," an official said. The Army Air Defence (AAD), which performed exceedingly well during Operation Sindoor, in fact, requires 11 regiments of the QR-SAM, even as it progressively also inducts regiments of the indigenous Akash system, which has an interception range of about 25-km at present. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The induction of the QR-SAM systems will add to the existing air defence network of the IAF and the Army, which ranges from the long-range Russian S-400 'Triumf' surface-to-air missile systems (380 km interception range) and Barak-8 medium range SAM systems (70 km), jointly developed with Israel, to the Russian shoulder-fired Igla-S missiles (6 km), the upgraded L-70 anti-aircraft guns (3.5 km) and the indigenous integrated drone detection and interdiction systems (1km-2 km). While the DRDO is also readying the very short-range air defence missile systems (VSHORADS), which have a 6 km interception range, the real game-changer will be an air defence system with a 350 km range being developed under the ambitious Project Kusha. India plans to operationally deploy this long-range system by 2028-2029, with the defence ministry in Sept 2023 approving the AoN for procurement of five of its squadrons for the IAF at a cost of Rs 21,700 crore, as was first reported by TOI. Also read:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store