Veteran diplomat and former Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon took over as National Security Adviser on Saturday. 60-year-old Menon, who will serve in the rank of Minister of State till further orders, took charge from M K Narayanan, who has been appointed as West Bengal governor.
United States National Security Adviser General (Retired) James Jones will travel to India next week to lay the groundwork for President Barack Obama's visit in November, the White House has said. During his three-day trip following the invitation of his Indian counterpart Shivshankar Menon, Jones will hold discussions on a full range of strategic partnership being developed between the two countries.Jones will be visiting New Delhi from July 14 to 16.
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon on Monday downplayed the recent "map row" with China contending that the issue required to be looked at in the perspective of boundary talks, which have made progress.
In the wake of last week's Kabul attack, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon will travel to Kabul on Friday to discuss security of about 4000 Indians working on developmental projects across Afghanistan, for which the government has certain proposals.
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon on Saturday visited the Bangladesh capital on an unscheduled tour, the second in five days to review the last-minute preparedness ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit next week.
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon on Thursday will represent India in the meeting of high representatives of national security of the BRICS nations in New Delhi, a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.
The Cabinet Committee on Security today took stock of the situation arising out of the Pune bomb blast and is understood to have discussed issues related to the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan.
Those who are so quick to claim Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's mantle but who fail to do him justice and actually diminish and distort him will learn that we must dare to be ambitious, confident and try for the best outcomes for India, says National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon
United States President Barack Obama vowed to build a 'true global, strategic partnership' with India and stressed on advancing bilateral economic ties and making progress on nuclear security efforts, when he dropped in during key talks between National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and his US counterpart Tom Donilon. "The President joined the meeting (between Menon and Donilon) and reaffirmed his commitment to building a true partnership with India,"the White House said
Condemning the terror strike in Varanasi, the United States offered India help in investigating the brutal attacks. US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer made the offer during a meeting with National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon in New Delhi on Wednesday morning.
A team of Indian investigators is in Kabul, joining a probe being conducted by Afghan authorities into last Friday's terror attack in which Indians associated with reconstruction works were targeted.
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon on Friday said the government will act against every terrorist module operating in the country.
Undeterred by last week's attack, India on Saturday declared that it will continue its developmental activities in Afghanistan without scaling down presence even as it suspended operations of its medical mission in Kabul hit by injuries to most of its members.
Dr Singh, who will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, would represent India at the high-level segment of the General Assembly on Saturday and deliver his address.
The highlight of the first BRICS Summit on the African soil is the possible setting up of a development bank for undertaking infrastructure and development projects.
India and China plan to resume the next round of talks to resolve differences over demarcation of borders and conduct joint military exercises so as to boost bilateral ties, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon said on Tuesday.
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon has met his United States counterpart James Jones in Washington, DC and discussed modalities by which access could be given to David Headley, Lashkar-e Tayiba operative blamed for role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Notwithstanding Pakistan's repeated insistence on resumption of composite dialogue, India today ruled it out, saying going back to the same process did "not make sense" as "we have to learn from history".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday left Durban for home, ending a four-day visit during which he attended BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit that decided to establish a development bank to finance infrastructure projects in emerging economies.
United States President Barack Obama on Monday began talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a wide range of bilateral and other issues. After a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Obama drove to the Hyderabad House from Rajghat to begin restricted talks with the prime minister, which would be followed by delegation-level talks. The two leaders are expected to issue a joint statement covering a number of issues ranging from security, trade and economy.
Wen, on his part, said that "a healthy, stable and dynamic China-India relationship is of far-reaching significance to the two nations, Asia and the whole world at large."
The ornate Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Sunday reverberated with joy as 22 new ministers were inducted into the central government.
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.
A senior government official says the idea is to facilitate mutually beneficial ways to keep the supply going.
India and China on Monday began talks to put in place a mechanism for management of the border between the two nations, an issue that has been an irritant in bilateral relations.
Amid tension with Pakistan on the recent spurt of violence at the Line of Control, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday spoke to Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj and assured them that the Opposition would be kept in the loop over the situation.
Ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's New Delhi visit, India and China on Monday explored ways to resolve the vexed boundary issue as the special representatives of the two countries held the 14th round of border talks in Beijng.
In the first preparatory meeting for the November visit of President Barack Obama, India and the US discussed ways to push their ties to match the potential and expectations of the two countries.
Determined to seek the extradition of Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley and access to him, India will raise the issue with US at the official-level during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's four-day visit to the US.
Ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to New Delhi next month, India and China will hold the 14th round of boundary talks in Beijing on November 29-30, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.
Reflecting anger in the government, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon on Tuesday termed as "despicable" and "barbaric" the treatment meted out to India's Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade in New York.
United States special envoy Richard Holbrooke on Wednesday met National Security Adviser M K Narayanan in New Delhi. According to reports, the two discussed how India could help Washington's strategy aimed at ending terror threats emanating from Afghanistan and Pakistan.Holbrooke, the special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was accompanied by Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.Holbrooke is also meeting Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.
The status of the peace process and the Sri Lankan government's efforts are believed to have been discussed during the 30-minute meeting.
The Taliban forces operating out of Pakistan's Swat region pose a common threat to India and the United States, besides the host country, America's special envoy Richard Holbrooke suggested in New Delhi on Monday. The envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, who met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, said he had sought the Indian leadership's assessment of the situation.
With the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam out of its way, Sri Lanka on Thursday assured India that it will implement a law for devolving powers to Tamil-dominated areas, as both the countries agreed on the need for a lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict. The assurance was contained in a joint statement issued after National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon met President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo.
Civil nuclear projects in the country would be subject to Indian laws including on issues of civil liability, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon said on Friday dismissing reports of attempts to dilute the liability clause in contracts proposed with United States firms.
In an open letter, they said, "We are witnessing a frenzy of hate filled destruction in the country where at the sacrificial altar are not just Muslims and members of the other minority communities but the Constitution itself."
Keen to conclude the civil nuclear deal by the year-end, India and the US will hold another round of high level talks in July to sort out differences that have been nagging the negotiations for months.
As part of government's efforts to reach out to the Bharatiya Janata Party over the nuclear liability bill, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon met senior leaders of the main opposition party on Wednesday, to allay their apprehensions but failed to convince them.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday took stock of the preparedness of the country's nuclear arsenal with the top security brass, including chiefs of the three services.
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