Pitching for freer movement of goods, services and people across South Asia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday warned that the region faces the risk of "marginalisation and stagnation" if member countries fail to build SAARC as a group that is better connected and better empowered.
Ahead of a possible meeting between their prime ministers in Thimphu, Pakistan on Tuesday said it wanted the resumption of composite dialogue with India at the political level, as the outcome of parleys between the foreign secretaries had been 'disappointing'."I don't think a forward movement can take place at the foreign-secretary level," Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, adding, "If you want real progress, it will have to come from the political leaders"
Pakistan has played a spoiler in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation's efforts to firm up agreements on developing intra-regional connectivity and establishing a common response to disasters.A Motor Vehicles Agreement, providing for connectivity between Kabul and Dhaka criss-crossing the region, and a pact on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters, were scheduled to be signed during the upcoming 16th SAARC Summit in Thimphu on April 28-29.
Indian assets and personnel in Kabul could come under fresh attacks in the near future with intelligence inputs suggesting that terror groups like Haqqani faction of Taliban have recently been enquiring about Indian projects and residential complexes of those working on these.
He said India's problems are at home and "we have to first tackle our own problems."
United States President Barack Obama is expected to undertake his first state visit to India in August or October, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday.Returning from his two-nation tour of the United States and Brazil during which he met Obama, Dr Singh said these two months were being considered for the finalisation of dates for the significant visit. However, the exact dates have not been finalised yet, he said.
India is also keen to interrogate Headley in a way that is legally acceptable in a court in the country. Headley has confessed to playing a crucial role in the Mumbai attacks.
Trade between India and China has jumped substantially from $1 billion in 2001 to $52 billion in 2008 and the two sides are targeting to reach $60 billion.
Addressing the Brazil-Russia-India-China Summit in Brasilia, he said the four countries can benefit by sharing their experiences in the field of inclusive growth.
"We should make all efforts for the early finalisation of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the United Nations," he said.
Addressing the 2nd India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Summit in Brasilia on Thursday, he said the grouping of leading developing economies must speak against the protectionist policies, "which are only shortsighted and self-defeating in the long run".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday met Chinese President Hu Jintao and discussed the entire gamut of bilateral issues, particularly trade and investments.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left Washington on Wednesday for Brazil after attending the Nuclear Security Summit and holding talks with US President Barack Obama during which he asked him to press Pakistan to rein in Lashkar-e-Tayiba and other terror outfits targeting India.On the second leg of his 8-day two-nation tour, Singh headed to Brasilia where he would attend the India-Brazil- South Africa and the Brazil-Russia-India-China summits on Thursday and on Friday.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday revealed that he had told United States President Barack Obama that India does not favour Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions but sanctions were not an answer as poor people get more affected by them."I said to the President that we do not favour Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions," Dr Singh told a press conference in Washington, when asked about the discussions on Iran that he had with Obama two days ago.
The communique issued at the end of the Summit, which saw the participation of 47 countries constitutes a political commitment by the participating countries on a "voluntary basis" the actionable portions of this work plan.
"We are considering setting up of a nuclear security Centre of Excellence in China through cooperation with relevant countries in order to play a bigger role in regional nuclear security cooperation," Hu said in his remarks at the Nuclear Security Summit.
With Pakistan obviously on his mind, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned on Tuesday, of the dangers posed by nuclear explosives falling into the hands of non-state actors posing danger to India and other countries. Addressing the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, he pitched for "zero tolerance" against individuals and groups which engage in illegal trafficking of atomic explosives and announced India's decision to set up a 'Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership'.
In the backdrop of fears about terrorists gaining access to nuclear material, leaders from 47 countries, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on Monday assembled in Washington to discuss ways to ensure that such a scenario was averted. At the two-day summit, which is an initiative of United States President Barack Obama, India is expected to voice its concern over the safety of Pakistan's atomic arsenal.
During the meeting with President Barack Obama, Singh said, there was a need to "rewrite" the architecture of global economic system in which the G-20 could play an important role.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh raised the issue of India getting access to 26/11 plotter David Headley with President Barack Obama, who said the US was fully supportive of the request and working through legal processes for giving it.
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