Jaishankar meets Turkmenistan's foreign minister
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met his counterpart from Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, in Delhi and said they had a warm exchange on deepening bilateral cooperation.
Jaishankar said he welcomed the visiting leader's 'strong condemnation' of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Meredov is in India for a key conclave. The meeting between the two foreign ministers took place at Hyderabad House.
In a post on X, Jaishankar also shared some photos of his meeting with Meredov. 'Delighted to meet FM Rashid Meredov of Turkmenistan. A warm exchange on deepening our cooperation, particularly in trade, investment, connectivity, health and energy sectors. Welcome his strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,' Jaishankar posted on X.
India is hosting the fourth edition of Central Asia Dialogue to forge a closer, wider and stronger partnership with the region, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are attending the conclave to be held in Delhi on Friday.
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Business Standard
5 hours ago
- Business Standard
Handshake abroad, discord at home with Opposition in the spotlight
A high-profile diplomatic offensive launched by New Delhi to rally international opinion in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor concluded on Sunday with the return of the Ravi Shankar Prasad-led 'Group II' from a fortnight-long mission to Europe. The delegation was one of seven that fanned out globally to expose Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism and reinforce India's strategic narrative in key capitals. More than 50 MPs, former diplomats, and ex-Union ministers were dispatched to 33 destinations, including Brussels, home to several European Union (EU) institutions. The delegations — drawn from across the political spectrum — are expected to brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming days. Group II, which included BJP leader D Purandeswari and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Priyanka Chaturvedi, made stops in France, Italy, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Germany. The group's return coincided with the Ministry of External Affairs's (MEA's) announcement of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's upcoming European tour. In a statement, the MEA said in the first leg of his tour, Jaishankar will travel to Paris and Marseille in France. He will also hold talks with his EU counterpart Jean Noel Barrot and participate in the inaugural edition of the Mediterranean Raisina Dialogue in Marseille. In Brussels, Jaishankar will meet EU High Representative for foreign affairs and Vice-President Kaja Kallas. Jaishankar's trip builds on his recent May visits to the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, as well as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's engagements in Tokyo and Washington DC. Before Group II's return, Chaturvedi posted on social media that her delegation concluded its mission 'with a sense of satisfaction that India stands together, resolute in its fight against terrorism'. She thanked her party leadership and also the government 'for realising the need to take everyone along to send a strong message on Operation Sindoor and India's fight back against terror.' While formal assessments of the outreach are still forthcoming, the initiative appears to have burnished the profiles of several Opposition leaders. Congress' Shashi Tharoor, Salman Khurshid, and Manish Tewari; NCP (Sharad Pawar)'s Supriya Sule; DMK's Kanimozhi; AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi; BJP's Baijayant Panda; and JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha have emerged as prominent faces of the campaign. Yet the multi-party engagement has also stirred political turbulence back home. Khurshid, who travelled with Group III to Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, publicly vented frustration over intra-party sniping. 'When on mission against terrorism... it's distressing that people at home are calculating political allegiances. Is it so difficult to be patriotic?' he wrote in a veiled dig on social media. In Jakarta, he noted that Kashmir had 'major problems' for years and suggested that the abrogation of Article 370 had resolved them. According to government sources, Khurshid — given his experience — was crucial to India finding unequivocal support from the Malaysian government for Operation Sindoor. Meanwhile, Tharoor, who headed Group V to the US, Guyana, Panama, Colombia and Brazil, faced criticism from Congress ranks. Party leader Udit Raj accused him of being a 'super spokesperson of the BJP'. Tharoor pushed back, saying working in the national interest should not be viewed as partisan. 'We are here as representatives of a united India,' he said during a press meet, highlighting the diversity within his team: five parties, three religions, seven states. Supriya Sule, who led Group VII to Qatar, South Africa, Ethiopia and Egypt, echoed this sentiment upon return. 'I couldn't be demanding a special Parliament session while representing India abroad,' she said, clarifying why she urged her party to wait until the delegations returned before pushing for a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. She noted a warm reception in the countries her team visited. 'They consider India the land of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi,' she said. Her delegation included Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma, Anurag Thakur, and Rajiv Pratap Rudy as members. Kanimozhi, who led Group VI to Russia, Slovenia, Greece, Latvia and Spain, received notable acclaim on social media, as did Owaisi, who travelled to the Gulf and North Africa as part of Group I led by the BJP's Panda. The wide participation of Opposition figures — many of whom often find themselves at odds with the government domestically —has not only elevated their international stature but also changed their perception among public and supporters of the ruling party.
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
EAM Jaishankar to visit France, Belgium to boost ties, push anti-terror stand
New Delhi: External affairs minister S Jaishankar is visiting France and Belgium this week for meetings with the leadership of the two countries and the European Union (EU) to bolster bilateral relations and emphasise India's zero tolerance policy for terrorism. Jaishankar will travel to the two countries during June 8-14 for talks with his French and Belgian counterparts and the first ministerial strategic dialogue with EU foreign and security policy chief Kaja Kallas,the external affairs ministry said on Sunday. He will travel to Paris and Marseille for discussions with French foreign minister Jean Noel Barrot. Besides engaging with the senior leadership of France and interacting with think tanks, Jaishankar will participate in the inaugural edition of the Mediterranean Raisina Dialogue in Marseille. The engagements will be an opportunity for Jaishankar to brief interlocutors on India's military strikes on terror infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack and New Delhi's new approach for fighting terrorism. India and France have completed 25 years of their strategic partnership, and bilateral ties are 'rooted in deep trust and commitment', with the two countries cooperating closely across all strategic domains, the external affairs ministry said. Also Read: Jaishankar meets all-party squads led by Sanjay Jha, Kanimozhi While in Brussels, Jaishankar will hold the first ministerial strategic dialogue with the EU high representative and vice president, Kaja Kallas, and engage with the senior leadership of the European Commission and the European Parliament, and interact with think tanks. The India-EU strategic partnership got a big boost with the first visit to New Delhi of the EU college of commissioners in February, when the two sides set the year end as the deadline for finalising a free trade agreement. During the visit to Belgium, Jaishankar will hold bilateral consultations with Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot and meet the country's senior leadership of Belgium. India and Belgium share friendly relations and a robust economic partnership. The bilateral collaboration spans trade, investment, green energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and the diamond sector. Jaishankar's visit is expected to deepen India's relations with the EU, France and Belgium and give renewed momentum to ongoing cooperation in diverse areas, the ministry said.
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
Jaishankar to visit France, Belgium from June 8
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is travelling to France and Belgium from June 8 to 14, days after he visited Germany. The visit is important since a multi-party political delegation also visited France and Belgium to canvas support for India's stance on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Jaishankar will first travel to Paris and then to Marseille. During this visit, he will travel to Paris and Marseille where he will hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean Noel Barrot, besides engaging with the country's senior leadership. He will also participate in the inaugural edition of the Mediterranean Raisina Dialogue which is being held in the city of Marseille. The Ministry of External Affairs said India and France have completed 25 years of strategic partnership. 'Our relations with France are rooted in deep trust and commitment, and our two countries cooperate closely across all domains of strategic and contemporary relevance besides sharing similar outlook on many regional and global issues,' it said in a statement. In the second leg of the visit, he will travel to Brussels. Here he will carry out talks with the EU as well as Belgian counterparts. During the visit, Jaishankar will hold a strategic dialogue with the EU High Representative and Vice President Kaja Kallas, and will engage with the senior leadership from the European Commission and the European Parliament. The MEA statement said: '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.' During his visit to Belgium, he will hold bilateral consultations with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Belgium, Maxime Prevot and also meet the senior leadership of Belgium. He will interact with the members of the Indian community. '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 MEA said. The ministry said that the EAM's visit is expected to further deepen India's friendly relations with the European Union, France and Belgium and give renewed momentum to cooperation in diverse areas. Jaishankar met visiting UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday, and 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. This message will be conveyed to counterparts in Belgium and France as well. This was the first visit by a Foreign minister from a P-5 country to India, after the India-Pakistan hostilities last month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to travel to Canada for the G7 leaders' summit on June 15-17. He will meet his counterparts from France, Germany, UK and the EU, among others during the visit.
