Latest news with #VikramMisri
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Hoping to put Pak on grey list, India eyes FATF tango with US
NEW DELHI: Foreign secretary Vikram Misri discussed ways to deepen economic and financial ties with the US, including collaboration in international financial institutions and coordination in the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) processes, during his visit to Washington, said the Indian govt. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This is important in the context of ongoing efforts by India to get Pakistan back into the global terror watchdog's grey list by flagging its involvement in terror-financing in the FATF meeting in June. Misri discussed the issue with deputy secretary of the treasury Michael Faulkender. Misri's visit to the US was a follow-up to PM Modi's visit to the country on Feb 13 this year, during which both sides launched the India-US COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century. In meetings with deputy secretary of defense Steve Feinberg and under secretary for policy Elbridge Colby, both the sides reaffirmed their commitment to a robust and forward-looking defense partnership. Discussions focused on co-production and co-development initiatives, sustained joint military exercises, logistics and information-sharing frameworks, and enhancing interoperability between the armed forces. At a luncheon meeting with deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau, both sides reviewed the full spectrum of the bilateral agenda. India and the US also reviewed progress on the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, and the need to streamline ITAR and export control regulations.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
India engages U.S. in plans to ‘grey list' Pakistan at FATF session
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who was recently on a three-day visit to the U.S., engaged the American officials regarding the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) session, where India is expected to argue for grey listing Pakistan. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. Misri — during his visit from May 27-29 — met a number of officials, including U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, and both sides focused on 'technology, trade and talent' as the pillars of the India-U.S. relationship. 'With Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender, the Foreign Secretary discussed ways to deepen economic and financial ties, including collaboration in international financial institutions and coordination in the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) processes,' the MEA said in a statement about Mr. Misri's visit, carried out as a part of India's outreach to crucial partner countries following Operation Sindoor against terror targets in Pakistan. The next plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is expected to take place in June, where India is planning to push for the re-inclusion of Pakistan in its 'grey list' of countries that are subject to increased scrutiny. Also Read | India hopes U.S. will clear visas on merit The Hindu had earlier reported that the Government of India will also oppose further World Bank funding to Pakistan. India has been arguing that the security establishment of Pakistan has a direct link to terror outfits like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed that carry out cross-border terror attacks against Indian citizens, and that the terror link makes a compelling case to put all financial assistance to Pakistan under increased scrutiny. India has already made a round of submissions to the Monitoring Team of the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council earlier in May. India's campaign to squeeze Pakistan on the financial front is expected to intensify in the coming months. Mr. Misri's visit to the United States had additional diplomatic importance as U.S. President Donald Trump has been repeating that he used the trade card to bring the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan to a pause on 10 May. He reiterated his contribution to the pause in India-Pakistan hostilities on Friday, saying, 'We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster.' Mr. Misri reviewed the progress of the India-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement and cooperation in critical and emerging technologies during his meeting with Under Secretary of Commerce Jeffrey Kessler. The two officials agreed to convene the next meeting of the India-U.S. Strategic Trade Dialogue at the earliest opportunity. In Mr. Misri's meeting with Deputy Secretary of Defence Steve Feinberg and Under Secretary for Policy Elbridge Colby, both sides reiterated their commitment to a 'robust and forward-looking defense partnership'. 'Discussions focused on co-production and co-development initiatives, sustained joint military exercises, logistics and information-sharing frameworks, and enhancing interoperability between the armed forces,' the MEA said.
The Wire
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Wire
The French Are Anxious to Know the Fate of Rafales in Operation Sindoor Combat
IAF fighter aircraft Rafale flies past during the 13th edition of Aero India, in Bengaluru. Photo: PTI/File New Delhi: For the first time, France's armed forces ministry has said it is in contact with the Indian government to 'better understand' the circumstances surrounding French-origin aircraft during the recent hostilities between India and Pakistan. At a press conference in Paris on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the French defence ministry said the situation remained unclear and that Paris was attempting to make sense of conflicting accounts. 'Regarding the conflict taking place between India and Pakistan, what I mainly observe is that we are in the fog of war and that there is an intense information war. In other words, what we know most of all today is that we don't know what happened. So indeed, there are a number of allegations that I will not repeat, since there is no confirmed information,' the spokesperson said. France is understood to be particularly concerned about reports suggesting that Rafale aircrafts, supplied by Dassault Aviation and widely considered the backbone of India's combat air fleet, may have been lost in action during Operation Sindoor. 'The issue of the Rafale is, of course, of primary importance to us. We are naturally keen to understand what happened, and so we are trying to stay as close as possible to our Indian partner to better understand the situation,' the spokesperson added. 'Obviously, the most significant feedback will come from this use in high-intensity combat, which apparently, according to some reports, involved several hundred aircraft. So, of course, we are following these events as closely as possible,' the spokesperson said. Noting that the Rafale had seen two decades of active service across various theatres of war, the official said any confirmation of a combat loss would mark a first in the aircraft's operational history. 'What we can especially note today is that the Rafale has seen 20 years of operational use – 20 years of combat deployment – and that if it turns out there was indeed a loss, it would be the first combat loss of this warplane.' The Indian government has not commented on international media reports suggesting that an Indian aircraft may have been shot down or crashed during the strikes carried out on the night of May 6-7, when Indian forces targeted nine suspected terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Official statements have only acknowledged that losses are an inevitable part of warfare. At a media briefing on May 8, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that official information will be shared when the time is right. On May 11, a day after fighting ended between India and Pakistan, Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal A.K. Bharti responded to a question about possible losses by stating, 'We are in a combat scenario and losses are a part of it. The question is, have we achieved our objective? The answer is a thumping yes. As for details, at this time I would not like to comment on that as we are still in combat and (do not want to) give advantage to (the) adversary. All our pilots are back home'.
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First Post
15 hours ago
- Business
- First Post
India-US discuss FATF cooperation as Delhi gears up to put Pakistan back on grey list
India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri discussed FATF cooperation with US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender as Delhi prepares to put Islamabad back on grey list read more Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri discussed coordination in the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) processes with US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender during his recent tour to Washington DC, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Saturday (May 31). Misri toured the US capital from May 27 to 29 and met with senior officials of the Donald Trump administration to further deepen collaboration around the India-US COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'With Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender, the Foreign Secretary discussed ways to deepen economic and financial ties, including collaboration in international financial institutions and coordination in the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) processes,' the MEA statement said. Notably, this comes as New Delhi gears up to put Islamabad back on the money laundering grey list in the wake of the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. According to reports, India has collected enough evidence to support its claims regarding Pakistan's support to extremists and radical Islamic terrorists who carry out attacks on Indians across the border. India is expected to highlight the concerns around the dramatic increase in Pakistan's defence budget despite its economy being in shambles, an indication that it may be inappropriately using funds given by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to bolster its military apparatus. What is FATF's grey list? Countries on FATF's grey list are subjected to increased monitoring and scrutiny on the financial front, which might lead to a significant drop in foreign direct investment inflows and aid approvals. As a country is placed on the grey list, it means it has 'committed to resolve swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes and is subject to increased monitoring'. As of now, 25 nations have been added to the grey list under FATF. Pakistan was put on the grey list in 2018 by the FATF and was eventually taken off in 2022, which helped Islamabad gain access to loans and aid from global financial institutions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India is convinced that Pakistan has failed to act on terror emanating from its territory and has been diverting funds from multilateral agencies to buy arms and ammunition, which it deploys against India when its armed forces seek to neutralise terror hideouts.
United News of India
a day ago
- Business
- United News of India
FS Misri, Dy NSA Kapoor meet US Under Secy of Defence, discuss co-development, co-production
Washington/New Delhi, May 30 (UNI) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri today held a productive meeting with US Under Secretary of Defence Elbridge Colby in Washington during which they discussed co-development, co-production, military exercises and logistics. In a post on X, the Indian Embassy in the US said that FS Misri was joined by Deputy NSA Pavan Kapoor: 'Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri had a productive meeting with @USDPColby. DNSA @AmbKapoor also joined the meeting. 'Defence remains a key pillar of the India–US strategic partnership. Discussions covered shared interests in co-development, co-production, military exercises, logistics and information sharing, and interoperability. 'Regional and global issues, including the Indo-Pacific, were also discussed.' The US Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, in a post on X, said: 'It was great to meet today with India's Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri and Deputy NSA @AmbKapoor. 'The U.S.-India alliance is on fundamentally strong ground based on shared interests and mutual respect. We here at DOD are striving hard to elevate defense cooperation as part of this critical partnership.' Earlier, the FS and the Deputy NSA met business leaders at a roundtable and with leading US think tank experts. 'Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri and Deputy NSA @AmbKapoor had an engaging discussion with business leaders at a roundtable hosted by @USISPForum. 'They emphasized the importance of G2G, academia, and industry collaboration to advance critical and emerging technologies in defence and strategic domains—key to transforming the India-US partnership for the 21st century.' 'Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri and Deputy NSA @AmbKapoor held an engaging interaction with leading US think tank experts today. 'Wide-ranging discussions covered India-US cooperation in defence, technology, and trade, as well as key regional and global developments.' UNI RN
