India's Proximity Archives
Date: August 14, 2024
South Asia
The External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar visited Maldives from August 9-11. He called on President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, where they jointly inaugurated India's Line of Credit (LoC)-assisted project. President Muizzu appreciated India's continued developmental assistance and reaffirmed his commitment to deepen the India-Maldives relationship. Dr. Jaishankar also held bilateral discussions with Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer and met the Minister for Defence, Minister of Finance, Governor of the Maldives Monetary Authority and a delegation from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) led by its President Abdulla Shahid. India and Maldives signed MoUs on capacity building of additional 1000 Maldivian civil servants in India and on introduction of UPI in Maldives. MoUs were exchanged on six High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) under grant assistance by India. The Maldives has proposed establishing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.
The External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar visited Maldives from August 9-11. He called on President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, where they jointly inaugurated India's Line of Credit (LoC)-assisted project. President Muizzu appreciated India's continued developmental assistance and reaffirmed his commitment to deepen the India-Maldives relationship. Dr. Jaishankar also held bilateral discussions with Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer and met the Minister for Defence, Minister of Finance, Governor of the Maldives Monetary Authority and a delegation from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) led by its President Abdulla Shahid. India and Maldives signed MoUs on capacity building of additional 1000 Maldivian civil servants in India and on introduction of UPI in Maldives. MoUs were exchanged on six High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) under grant assistance by India. The Maldives has proposed establishing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.
Southeast Asia
The Coast Guards of the Philippines and Vietnam conducted their first joint training exercises near the West Philippine Sea on August 9, 2024. The drills featured a simulated search and rescue operation and the use of water cannon to repel a mock threat. Vietnam's 90-metre-long ship CSB 8002 and Philippine offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang participated in the exercise. The commanding officer of BRP Gabriela Silang, Lawrence Roque, stated that the “exercise is more on the humanitarian side”.
East Asia
On August 8, Japan and Indonesia signed the Protocol of Amendments to the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) virtually. The IJEPA agreement is Indonesia’s first bilateral economic agreement implemented since July 1, 2008. Indonesia’s Minister of Trade, Zulkifli Hasan, said, “This strategic economic agreement encompasses several crucial aspects, namely Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Electronic Commerce, Movement of Natural Persons (MNP), Cooperation in Intellectual Property, and Government Procurement. The agreement will improve market access for Indonesian export products to Japan across 112 tariff lines. Regarding trade in goods, he noted that the protocol encourages Japan to facilitate a wide range of Indonesian goods, including marine products, fruits, foods and beverages, and organic chemicals, to access its market. The protocol is expected to increase the total value of Indonesia’s exports to Japan to 35.9 billion USD by 2028, or about 58% higher than the 20.8 billion USD recorded last year.
West Asia
President Biden held a telephone conversation with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and Britain on August 12 to discuss tensions in the Middle East. Amidst fears of a potential Iranian attack on Israel, they reaffirmed their support for Israel's defence and security. The US approved the sale of F-15 fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel worth USD 20 billion, that is expected to be delivered by 2029. Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas are likely to resume negotiations regarding a ceasefire and hostage deal on August 15. US mediators reportedly described these negotiations as the last chance to release the hostages and avoid a regional escalation of the conflict with Iran's involvement.
Central Asia
Central Asian leaders gathered for the 6th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia, with host Kazakhstan’s President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev emphasising regional cooperation in his opening remarks on August 9, 2024. Tokayev said, “Through joint efforts, significant progress has been made in the development of our format since the first meeting in Astana in 2018. The outcomes of the past five summits, where important decisions to deepen regional cooperation were made, are clear evidence of this”. Based on the outcomes of the meeting, a joint statement, a Roadmap for the development of regional cooperation for 2025-2027 and Plan of industrial cooperation of Central Asian states for 2025-2027 were among the few documents adopted.
Indian Ocean Region
The 10th edition of the bilateral military exercise 'Mitra Shakti' between India and Sri Lanka commenced on August 12, 2024, in Maduru Oya, Sri Lanka. The exercise is scheduled to be conducted from August 12th to 25th, 2024. It aims to enhance joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter insurgency operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Mandate. The annual Mitra Shakti exercise started in 2012 and is held alternately in India and Sri Lanka. The last edition was conducted in Pune in November 2023.
