India’s Proximity Archives
Date: November 13, 2024
South Asia
A delegation from India, headed by JP Singh, the Joint Secretary of the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the MEA, travelled to Kabul on November 4-5. They met with the Taliban’s interim Defence Minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, former President Hamid Karzai and other officials. While meeting with JP Singh, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban Foreign Minister, expressed a desire to strengthen ties between the Taliban Government and India. India proposed to Afghan businesses the use of Chabahar Port in Iran and also discussed providing more humanitarian aid to Kabul. Meanwhile, the Taliban have installed Ikramuddin Kamil in the position of Acting Consul at the Afghan Consulate in Mumbai. Mr. Ikramuddin is currently a Ph.D. student at South Asia University in Delhi.
A delegation from India, headed by JP Singh, the Joint Secretary of the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the MEA, travelled to Kabul on November 4-5. They met with the Taliban’s interim Defence Minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, former President Hamid Karzai and other officials. While meeting with JP Singh, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban Foreign Minister, expressed a desire to strengthen ties between the Taliban Government and India. India proposed to Afghan businesses the use of Chabahar Port in Iran and also discussed providing more humanitarian aid to Kabul. Meanwhile, the Taliban have installed Ikramuddin Kamil in the position of Acting Consul at the Afghan Consulate in Mumbai. Mr. Ikramuddin is currently a Ph.D. student at South Asia University in Delhi.
Southeast Asia
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited China and the US from November 8-12, 2024, his first visits abroad after assuming office. During his visit to China, he held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and Zhao Leji, the Chairperson of the National People’s Congress. The leaders of the two countries signed a series of agreements on infrastructure, green energy, digital technology and agriculture worth approximately $10 billion. On November 12, President Prabowo met with US President Joe Biden at the White House and celebrated the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Indonesia relations. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen U.S.-Indonesia cooperation as part of ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. According to the joint statement both leaders “committed to continue advancing vision for an open, transparent, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific regional architecture, with ASEAN at the centre, that upholds international law.”
East Asia
On November 12, Russia’s top security official Sergei Shoigu told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Moscow and Beijing face an “urgent task” to work together to counter “containment” by the US. Shoigu’s meeting with Wang Yi in Beijing was the first between high-level Russian and Chinese officials since Trump won the US presidential election last week. According to the read-out by the Chinese foreign ministry, the two ministers discussed major security issues of mutual interest, reached new consensus, increased mutual trust and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation further. Wang Yi stated that “the more complex the international situation gets and the more external challenges there are, the more the two sides must firmly unite and cooperate to defend common interests”.
On November 12, Russia’s top security official Sergei Shoigu told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Moscow and Beijing face an “urgent task” to work together to counter “containment” by the US. Shoigu’s meeting with Wang Yi in Beijing was the first between high-level Russian and Chinese officials since Trump won the US presidential election last week. According to the read-out by the Chinese foreign ministry, the two ministers discussed major security issues of mutual interest, reached new consensus, increased mutual trust and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation further. Wang Yi stated that “the more complex the international situation gets and the more external challenges there are, the more the two sides must firmly unite and cooperate to defend common interests”.
West Asia
On November 11, an extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which reaffirmed the need for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and called for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital. Notwithstanding, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's Finance Minister, dismissed the possibility of a Palestinian state and asserted that Donald Trump's election as President of the United States would provide Israel with an opportunity to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria).
On November 11, an extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which reaffirmed the need for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and called for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital. Notwithstanding, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's Finance Minister, dismissed the possibility of a Palestinian state and asserted that Donald Trump's election as President of the United States would provide Israel with an opportunity to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria).
Central Asia
The Azerbaijan Presidency of the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) announced an early victory with the adoption of standards for the creation of carbon credits under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, drawing criticism. The early adoption of the related modalities and, most importantly, carbon removal technologies was done without a discussion by parties. During the conference, the Indian delegation emphasised principles of “common but differentiated responsibilities” and technology transfer for developing countries.
The Azerbaijan Presidency of the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) announced an early victory with the adoption of standards for the creation of carbon credits under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, drawing criticism. The early adoption of the related modalities and, most importantly, carbon removal technologies was done without a discussion by parties. During the conference, the Indian delegation emphasised principles of “common but differentiated responsibilities” and technology transfer for developing countries.
Indian Ocean Region
The 4th Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX) was held from November 8 to 11, 2024, hosted by the Indian Navy (IN) at Port Blair, India. This year’s exercise saw the participation of the Republic of Singapore Navy's Formidable-class frigate RSS Tenacious, along with S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter, as well as the Royal Thai Navy's Krabi-class offshore patrol vessel HTMS Krabi. The Indian Navy was represented by the Saryu-class offshore patrol vessel INS Saryu, the Kora-class corvette INS Karmuk, and a Dornier-228 maritime patrol aircraft. The navies carried out a range of naval exercises, which included manoeuvring drills and live firing operations in the Andaman Sea.
The 4th Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX) was held from November 8 to 11, 2024, hosted by the Indian Navy (IN) at Port Blair, India. This year’s exercise saw the participation of the Republic of Singapore Navy's Formidable-class frigate RSS Tenacious, along with S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter, as well as the Royal Thai Navy's Krabi-class offshore patrol vessel HTMS Krabi. The Indian Navy was represented by the Saryu-class offshore patrol vessel INS Saryu, the Kora-class corvette INS Karmuk, and a Dornier-228 maritime patrol aircraft. The navies carried out a range of naval exercises, which included manoeuvring drills and live firing operations in the Andaman Sea.
