India's Proximity Archives
Date: October 02, 2024
South Asia
South Asian leaders — India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar; Nepal’s Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli; Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif; Bhutan’s Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay; and Maldives President, Dr. Mohammad Muizzu — travelled to New York to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). During his address at the UNGA, Dr. Jaishankar emphasised the importance of UN reforms and stated that it is crucial to include all regions of the world in decision-making processes regarding significant global issues. Bhutan’s Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay, expressed his commitment to supporting India’s bid for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The heads of state from the UK, France, Portugal, and Russia also expressed their support for India’s permanent seat on the UNSC in their speeches.
South Asian leaders — India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar; Nepal’s Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli; Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif; Bhutan’s Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay; and Maldives President, Dr. Mohammad Muizzu — travelled to New York to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). During his address at the UNGA, Dr. Jaishankar emphasised the importance of UN reforms and stated that it is crucial to include all regions of the world in decision-making processes regarding significant global issues. Bhutan’s Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay, expressed his commitment to supporting India’s bid for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The heads of state from the UK, France, Portugal, and Russia also expressed their support for India’s permanent seat on the UNSC in their speeches.
Southeast Asia
The 8th India-Indonesia Foreign Office Consultations were convened in New Delhi on September 26, 2024. The Indian delegation was led by Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs and the Indonesian delegation was led by Abdul Kadir Jailani, Director General for Asia-Pacific and African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two sides reviewed bilateral ties including political exchanges, defence and security, maritime domain, trade & investment, healthcare, connectivity, science and technology, space, tourism, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
East Asia
A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) JS Sazanami (DD-113) sailed south through the Taiwan Strait on September 25, 2024, for the first time. The guided-missile destroyer was accompanied by a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) destroyer and a Royal New Zealand Navy fleet oiler. The fleet headed to the South China Sea for joint exercises. China responded strongly to the activity with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stating that “China is highly vigilant about the political intentions of Japan’s actions and has lodged stern representations with Japan”. This comes a week after China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier, accompanied by two destroyers, sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan for the first time.
A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) JS Sazanami (DD-113) sailed south through the Taiwan Strait on September 25, 2024, for the first time. The guided-missile destroyer was accompanied by a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) destroyer and a Royal New Zealand Navy fleet oiler. The fleet headed to the South China Sea for joint exercises. China responded strongly to the activity with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stating that “China is highly vigilant about the political intentions of Japan’s actions and has lodged stern representations with Japan”. This comes a week after China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier, accompanied by two destroyers, sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan for the first time.
West Asia
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon on September 27. US President Joe Biden stressed that Nasrallah's death is a "measure of justice" for the thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians who were victims of Hezbollah terrorist attacks over the years. Meanwhile, Iran launched around 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel on October 1, which could result in a direct conflict between Iran and Israel. The Israeli military pledged to respond to Iran's "severe and dangerous escalation", while the US reaffirmed its unwavering support for Israel’s defence and security. The US has moved three additional F-15E, F-16, and A-10 aircraft squadrons to the Middle East to mitigate the risk of a broader regional conflict.
Central Asia
During the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly Debate, Turkmenistan defined its strategic partnership priorities with the UN, highlighting peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, and humanitarian issues. According to the ministry, these priorities were presented by Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov on September 25. Meredov said that Turkmenistan aims to strengthen peace and trust in the field of security by advancing mechanisms of preventive diplomacy and peacebuilding. The minister also highlighted the importance of supporting Afghanistan in its economic recovery and addressing humanitarian issues, citing the construction of the strategic Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and other infrastructure projects.
Indian Ocean Region
The 2nd edition of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) seminar on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing took place at the Naval War College in Goa on September 25, 2024. This significant event gathered delegates from 17 IORA member countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Somalia, South Africa, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Tanzania. The seminar addressed the growing challenges posed by IUU fishing in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), discussing its economic, environmental, and security implications. Participants also engaged in dialogues to identify legal gaps and collaborative strategies among member states to combat this issue effectively.
