Latest news with #DefenceMinisters'Meeting
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Jaishankar, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov to meet in Moscow on Aug 21
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on August 21 in Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X. Moscow and New Delhi have talked up their "strategic partnership" since the tariff announcement by US.(X/@RusEmbIndia) The post stated, 'On August 21, FM Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with FM of India S. Jaishankar in Moscow. The Ministers will discuss key issues on our bilateral agenda, as well as key aspects of cooperation within international frameworks.' The upcoming meeting follows a session between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)'s Foreign Ministers' Meeting on July 15. In a post on X, Russia's Foreign Ministry shared, "Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of India @DrSJaishankar hold a meeting on the sidelines of the #SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting." The high-level interaction came shortly after the meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, China, in late June this year. The leaders discussed the supply of S-400 systems, Su-30 MKI upgrades, and procurement of critical military hardware in expeditious timeframes, as noted by an official statement from the Ministry of Defence. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Sergey Lavrov had also held a meeting on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6. In a statement shared on X, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of India @DrSJaishankar hold a meeting on the sidelines of the XVII #BRICS Summit. Rio de Janeiro, July 6." The two leaders had previously met in Johannesburg in February this year, where they discussed the ongoing progress of bilateral cooperation between India and Russia. The BRICS Summit, hosted by Brazil, brought together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, as well as new members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia. Building on these diplomatic engagements, an all-party delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi visited Russia in May as part of India's global outreach programme, Operation Sindoor, where she reiterated India's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. These meetings underscore the continued focus on strengthening India-Russia ties across diplomatic, defence, and multilateral platforms.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Pahalgam terror attack: US designates TRF a foreign terrorist organisation
India's diplomatic efforts received a shot in the arm on Friday with the US designating The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a "foreign terrorist organisation" over the Pahalgam terror attack. The US designation of TRF could help put the terrorist outfit on the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC's) 1267 Committee, a key counter-terrorism mechanism that designates terrorists and their organisations. India welcomed the US decision as a 'timely and important' step, reflecting strong counter-terror cooperation between the two countries. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the TRF, a 'proxy' of Pakistan-based terrorist organisation LeT, has been involved in numerous terror-related activities, including the heinous attack on civilians in Pahalgam, for which it twice claimed responsibility. The US move could also help bolster the government's defence of its conduct of India's foreign policy in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins on Monday (July 21). Opposition INDIA bloc parties have announced that they intend to ask the government questions over Operation Sindoor and India's foreign relations, especially with China. In a related development, and hours after the US proscribed the TRF, China on Friday called on regional countries to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation to safeguard regional security. In its statement on April 25, the UNSC had condemned the Pahalgam attack of April 22, in which terrorists killed 26 people, but China and Pakistan's objections made it drop references to the TRF and LeT from the statement. On June 23, India refused to sign a joint communique at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in China's Qingdao as it omitted the Pahalgam terror attack and did not explicitly address India's concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism. Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US State Department is adding the TRF as a designated foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) and specially designated global terrorist (SDGT). He said it was part of Washington's commitment to countering terrorism and enforcing President Donald Trump's call for justice for the Pahalgam attack. Rubio said the TRF, a 'front and proxy' of LeT, claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, killing 26 civilians, which was "the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attack conducted by the LeT'. '(The) TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024,' Rubio said. In a social media post, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said the US decision was a 'strong affirmation' of India-US counter-terror cooperation, was a 'timely and important' step, and that India has consistently emphasised the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The EAM said India remains committed to a 'policy of zero tolerance' towards terrorism, and will continue to work closely with its international partners to ensure that terrorist organisations and their proxies are held accountable. Jaishankar and MEA thanked Rubio. 'We acknowledge and appreciate the leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio in this regard,' the MEA said. 'Appreciate Secretary Rubio and the US State Department,' Jaishankar said. The TRF claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack but later backtracked as tensions soared between India and Pakistan. India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) identified TRF head Sheikh Sajjad Gul as the mastermind of the attack. Several Pakistani terrorist groups and individuals are listed under the UNSC's 1267 sanctions regime, which imposes asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes. These include LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), along with key figures like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar. The TRF emerged in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. According to Indian intelligence sources, it has former Pakistani Special Service Group (SSG) commandos in its ranks. Other than the Pahalgam terror attack, sources said that it was involved in four major attacks in the past few years — the attack on pilgrims in Reasi in June 2024; on migrant construction workers in Z-Morh tunnel (also known as the Sonamarg tunnel) in Ganderbal in October 2024; the September 13, 2023 Kokernag encounter that left a colonel, a major and a deputy superintendent of police dead; and the July 8, 2020 attack on a BJP leader that killed him and two of his family members in Bandipora district. The attacks in Reasi and Ganderbal left 16 people, including seven pilgrims, dead and several injured. The TRF was founded in October 2019, with Sheikh Sajjad Gul as its supreme commander, Mohammad Abbas Sheikh as the founding chief, and Basit Ahmed Dar as the chief operational commander. Both Abbas and Dar, local terrorists, were eliminated by security forces in separate operations in the Valley on August 23, 2021 and May 7, 2024, respectively.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
US designates TRF as foreign terrorist organisation over Pahalgam attack
India's diplomatic efforts received a shot in the arm on Friday with the US designating The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a "foreign terrorist organisation" over the Pahalgam terror attack. The US designation of TRF could help put the terrorist outfit on the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC's) 1267 Committee, a key counter-terrorism mechanism that designates terrorists and their organisations. India welcomed the US decision as a 'timely and important' step, reflecting strong counter-terror cooperation between the two countries. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the TRF, a 'proxy' of Pakistan-based terrorist organisation LeT, has been involved in numerous terror-related activities, including the heinous attack on civilians in Pahalgam, for which it twice claimed responsibility. The US move could also help bolster the government's defence of its conduct of India's foreign policy in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins on Monday (July 21). Opposition INDIA bloc parties have announced that they intend to ask the government questions over Operation Sindoor and India's foreign relations, especially with China. In a related development, and hours after the US proscribed the TRF, China on Friday called on regional countries to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation to safeguard regional security. In its statement on April 25, the UNSC had condemned the Pahalgam attack of April 22, in which terrorists killed 26 people, but China and Pakistan's objections made it drop references to the TRF and LeT from the statement. On June 23, India refused to sign a joint communique at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in China's Qingdao as it omitted the Pahalgam terror attack and did not explicitly address India's concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism. Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US State Department is adding the TRF as a designated foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) and specially designated global terrorist (SDGT). He said it was part of Washington's commitment to countering terrorism and enforcing President Donald Trump's call for justice for the Pahalgam attack. Rubio said the TRF, a 'front and proxy' of LeT, claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, killing 26 civilians, which was "the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attack conducted by the LeT'. '(The) TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024,' Rubio said. In a social media post, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said the US decision was a 'strong affirmation' of India-US counter-terror cooperation, was a 'timely and important' step, and that India has consistently emphasised the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The EAM said India remains committed to a 'policy of zero tolerance' towards terrorism, and will continue to work closely with its international partners to ensure that terrorist organisations and their proxies are held accountable. Jaishankar and MEA thanked Rubio. 'We acknowledge and appreciate the leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio in this regard,' the MEA said. 'Appreciate Secretary Rubio and the US State Department,' Jaishankar said. The TRF claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack but later backtracked as tensions soared between India and Pakistan. India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) identified TRF head Sheikh Sajjad Gul as the mastermind of the attack. Several Pakistani terrorist groups and individuals are listed under the UNSC's 1267 sanctions regime, which imposes asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes. These include LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), along with key figures like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar. The TRF emerged in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. According to Indian intelligence sources, it has former Pakistani Special Service Group (SSG) commandos in its ranks. Other than the Pahalgam terror attack, sources said that it was involved in four major attacks in the past few years — the attack on pilgrims in Reasi in June 2024; on migrant construction workers in Z-Morh tunnel (also known as the Sonamarg tunnel) in Ganderbal in October 2024; the September 13, 2023 Kokernag encounter that left a colonel, a major and a deputy superintendent of police dead; and the July 8, 2020 attack on a BJP leader that killed him and two of his family members in Bandipora district. The attacks in Reasi and Ganderbal left 16 people, including seven pilgrims, dead and several injured. The TRF was founded in October 2019, with Sheikh Sajjad Gul as its supreme commander, Mohammad Abbas Sheikh as the founding chief, and Basit Ahmed Dar as the chief operational commander. Both Abbas and Dar, local terrorists, were eliminated by security forces in separate operations in the Valley on August 23, 2021 and May 7, 2024, respectively.
New Indian Express
30-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
India refuses to sign the SCO joint declaration; protests diluted stand on terrorism
India at the SCO Summit decided not to sign the Joint Declaration post the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting at Qingdao, China. Sources said this decision was 'in protest of dilution of Indian stand on terrorism.'
New Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Russia backs India on cross-border terror, Rajnath talks arms delivery
NEW DELHI: Russia once again expressed its solidarity with India on the terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh discussed cross-border terrorism and defence cooperation in a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, China on Thursday. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday informed that Singh also held bilateral meetings with the defence ministers of Belarus, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, with India's fight against terrorism in the wake of Operation Sindoor among the common issues discussed. The Singh-Belousov meeting included in-depth discussions on a range of subjects, covering current geopolitical situations, cross-border terrorism, and Indo-Russian defence cooperation. The MoD said key topics also included the 'supply of S-400 systems, Su-30 MKI upgrades, and procurement of critical military hardware in expeditious timeframes'. The S-400 advanced air defence system has the capability of targeting threats up to 400 km. It was deployed during Operation Sindoor. The contract for five missile systems was inked in 2018 for around `35,000 crore. India has so far received three squadrons of the air defence system, which are operationalised and deployed along the borders with China and Pakistan.
