India's Proximity Archives
South Asia
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Pakistan from August 2-3 and held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif. The Iranian President was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Defence Minister Brig Gen Aziz Nasirzadeh, and the governor of Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province. The discussions emphasised bolstering bilateral cooperation, augmenting annual trade, energy collaboration and border security. During a joint press conference, Prime Minister Sharif affirmed Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy. The Iranian President also met with President Zardari and Army Chief Field Marshal Munir.
Southeast Asia
The President of the Republic of the Philippines, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is paying a State Visit to India from August 4 to 8, 2025. This is the first visit by President Marcos Jr, son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, who was the first Philippine President to visit India, in 1976. On August 5, Prime Minister Modi and President Marcos held bilateral talks following a ceremonial reception. They announced the establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Following the talks, Prime Minister Modi stated, “India and Philippines are friends by choice and partners by destiny”. President Marcos said, “India is now only the fifth country to hold strategic partner status with the Philippines—signifying a shared commitment to a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific”. The two leaders also witnessed the signing and exchange of several agreements and terms of reference, including those facilitating military-to-military staff talks between their respective air forces, armies, and navies, as well as enhanced maritime cooperation between their coast guards
East Asia
Japan and Australia have strengthened their defence relations. On August 5, 2025, Australia announced a landmark USD 6 billion deal to acquire 11 Mogami-class stealth frigates from Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This is Japan’s largest defence export deal since World War II. The advanced frigates, equipped with long-range missile capabilities, will replace Australia’s ageing Anzac-class vessels. As part of a broader military restructure aimed at deterring China, the deal will expand its major warship fleet from 11 to 26. While the first three ships will be built overseas, the remaining will be constructed in Australia.
West Asia
According to reports on August 6, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the country’s military to pursue a "full conquest" of the Gaza Strip. PM Netanyahu warned that if the IDF Chief of Staff disagreed with this decision, he should resign. US President Donald Trump expressed no concern about Israel's plan to conquer Gaza, but rather focused on getting more humanitarian aid into the region. In line with this, US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff visited the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in Rafah on August 1.
Central Asia
According to reports, US President Donald Trump is scheduled to host Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House on August 8, 2025, for peace talks aimed at advancing a long-delayed peace agreement between the two countries. According to the Armenian government, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will visit Washington on August 7 and 8 to attend a trilateral meeting with Trump and Aliyev. The talks are focused on promoting peace, prosperity, and economic cooperation in the region, with a possibility that a peace agreement will be announced after the meeting. Armenia and Azerbaijan have a decades-long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but with a predominantly ethnic Armenian population, which Azerbaijan regained control over in 2023. Despite prior draft agreements and recent talks, a final peace deal has remained elusive.
Indian Ocean Region
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Satpura arrived in Singapore to take part in the 32nd edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX-25) from July 28- August 2, 2025. SIMBEX-25 commenced with the Harbour Phase, featuring Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs), professional interactions, operational discussions, and familiarisation visits aboard participating vessels, including RSN Vigilant and RSN Supreme. The Sea Phase will include advanced operational drills such as air defence exercises, cross-deck helicopter operations, precision targeting, complex maneuvering, and Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) operations. The exercise marks yet another milestone in the enduring maritime partnership between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).
