EAM Jaishankar, five Central Asian FMs to address Business Council meeting
New Delhi, June 4 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will address the India-Central Asia Business Council meeting in New Delhi tomorrow, on the sidelines of the Fourth India-Central Asia Dialogue here.
The gathering will see the participation of Foreign Ministers of the five Central Asian countries.
The Business Council meeting is being jointly organised by FICCI, and the Ministry of External Affairs at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi.
The Central Asian FMs to address the business council meeting include Murat Nurtleu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan; Zheenbek Kulubaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan; Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan; Rashid Meredov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan; and
Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, a FICCI statement said.
The 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue will be held on Friday in the morning, at the same hotel.
In the evening on Friday, the five Central Asian Foreign Ministers will make a joint call on PM Modi.
UNI RN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Lammy meets PM, Jaishankar: Trade to terror, India and UK flag deeper ties
After meeting visiting UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India follows a policy of 'zero tolerance against terrorism' and expects its partners to understand that Delhi will never 'countenance' the equivalence of perpetrators and victims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met Lammy as well, said: 'Pleased to meet UK Foreign Secretary Mr David Lammy. Appreciate his substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, further strengthened by the recently concluded FTA. Value UK's support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism.' This is the first visit by a Foreign Minister from a P-5 country to India after the India-Pakistan hostilities last month. Lammy had visited Islamabad on May 16, when he had welcomed the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Jaishankar said: 'Let me thank the Government of the United Kingdom for the strong condemnation of the barbaric terrorist attack in Pahalgam in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and for your solidarity and support to India in the fight against terrorism. We practice a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and expect our partners to understand it, and we will never countenance perpetrators of evil being put at par with its victims.' Jaishankar said that recent conclusion of the India-UK FTA and the Double Contribution Convention is 'truly a milestone' which will not only propel two-way trade and investment but will have also have a 'positive effect on other strategic aspects of our bilateral ties, it would also contribute to the strengthening of supply and value chains'. He said that the Technology Security Initiative (TSI) will enable deeper collaboration in strategic technology sectors of AI, Semiconductors, Telecom, Quantum, HealthTech/ Bio-Tech, Critical Minerals and Advanced Materials. The two sides have also launched the Strategic Exports and Technology Cooperation Dialogue which will increase TSI's effectiveness in promoting trade in critical and emerging technologies, including the resolution of relevant licensing or regulatory issues. He also said that the UK-India infrastructure financial bridge can 'unlock quality long term capital flows from the United Kingdom to India', and that 'would surely contribute to our infrastructure development'. 'There is very good collaboration in the education sector with many more universities, I believe, planning to establish their campuses in India, and on the people-to-people ties front, we had the privilege — I myself had the honour — to open two new consulates in Manchester and Belfast.' According to the British High Commission, bolstering economic and migration ties and delivering further growth opportunities for British businesses are top on Lammy's agenda. 'The visit follows the historic Free Trade Agreement agreed between the two countries and will deliver on this government's commitment to boost jobs and prosperity. The new deal with India is expected to increase bilateral trade by over £25 billion every year, UK GDP by £4.8 billion, and wages by £2.2 billion each year in the long run, putting money back in the pockets of working people,' it said. Lammy said: 'India was one of my first visits as Foreign Secretary, and since then has been a key partner in the delivery of our Plan for Change. Our relationship has gone from strength to strength — securing our future technologies, adding over £25bn in trade every year between our countries and deepening the strong links between our cultures and people. 'Signing a free trade agreement is just the start of our ambitions — we're building a modern partnership with India for a new global era. We want to go even further to foster an even closer relationship and cooperate when it comes to delivering growth, fostering innovative technology, tackling the climate crisis and delivering our migration priorities, and providing greater security for our people.' The visit comes as some of India's top business leaders endorsed the trade deal which will increase opportunities for trade and investment between the UK and India. It also comes ahead of the launch of the UK's modern Industrial Strategy, which London says, will make it quicker, easier and cheaper to do business in the UK. On May 2, the UK and India signed a new UK-India Programme of Cultural Cooperation to boost collaboration across the arts and culture, creative industries, tourism and sport sectors. The agreement will open the door for increased UK creative exports to India and enable more partnerships between UK and Indian museums and cultural institutions, helping to grow UK soft power. At the 13th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) in April, UK's Chancellor Rachel Reeves had welcomed £400m of trade and investment wins set to boost the British and the Indian economy and deliver economic growth and security for the working people. Lammy had travelled to India on his first official visit as Foreign Secretary in July last year, when he announced the TSI. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
United News of India
2 hours ago
- United News of India
Senior BNP leader says elections should be held in December 2025, and not April next year
Dhaka, June 7 (UNI) Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam, reiterating his party's stance on the national polls, said that elections should be held in December 2025, and the proposed April 2026 date is not viable for holding polls. Citing adverse weather, Ramadan, and public examinations as his reasons, the BNP leader said: "The time (April) is not the right time for elections in Bangladesh. There is a risk of extreme heat, storms, and rain. Ramadan… and public examinations will also be taking place. It seems that not much thought has been given to this timeframe." Chief Advisor Mohammed Yunus had announced April 2026 as the date for holding the national polls, which the party described as a "disappointing" decision, The Daily Star reported. The party claimed that the 84-year-old CA's decision was aimed at "appeasing a select group of political parties", alluding to the hardline Islamic fundamentalist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party, who said that no polls can be held until "justice" is not delivered to the "martyrs" of the July Uprising. "BNP has been demanding elections by December, which reflected the peoples' expectations. We believe elections can be held in December, and that would be the most suitable time for the nation," he added. Upon the announcement by CA Yunus, the BNP Standing Committee noted that he did not provide any clear justification as to why holding the election by December would not be feasible, and instead touched upon topics like construction of ports and foreign policy issues – subjects that did not fall under an interim government's ambit. "The BNP has repeatedly said that it wants elections as soon as possible. We had hoped that Dr Muhammad Yunus would announce the election date by December. But undoubtedly, not only the BNP, but the entire nation has been disappointed by the announcement of elections in April," he told reporters. UNI ANV RN
India Gazette
3 hours ago
- India Gazette
David Lammy calls on PM Modi, conveys UK's strong interest in furthering cooperation in key sectors
New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shared the details of the meeting in an official statement. As per the MEA, PM Modi expressed satisfaction at the successful conclusion of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement and Double Contribution Convention and appreciated the constructive engagement by both sides that led to this milestone. PM Modi also welcomed the growing momentum in bilateral ties and expressed satisfaction at the deepening of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He welcomed the continued collaboration under the Technology Security Initiative and noted its potential to shape trusted and secure innovation ecosystems. The statement noted that Foreign Secreatary David Lammy conveyed UK's strong interest in further enhancing cooperation across key sectors including trade and investment, defence and security, technology, innovation, and clean energy. He expressed confidence that the FTA will unlock new economic opportunities for both countries. 'The two leaders exchanged views on regional and global issues. UK Foreign Secretary strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and expressed support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism. PM Modi underscored the need for a decisive international action against terrorism and those who support it,' the statement said. The statement also noted that PM Modi conveyed his warm greetings to the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and reiterated the invitation to visit India at the earliest mutual convenience. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday and shared the details in a post on X. PM Modi appreciated the progress made in the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and also mentioned the recently concluded FTA between the two countries. He appreciated the UK's support to India in the fight against cross-border terrorism. PM Modi wrote on X, 'Pleased to meet UK Foreign Secretary Mr. David Lammy. Appreciate his substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, further strengthened by the recently concluded FTA. Value UK's support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism.' (ANI)
