Veteran diplomat Ranjan Mathai on Monday assumed charge as new Foreign Secretary succeeding Nirupama Rao and said he would try and work to restore "trust and confidence" in Indo-Pak relations.
Mathai, a 1974-batch IFS officer, will assume office from August one and will be there for a term of two years, official spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said.
Mathai took the office on Monday. He succeeds Jaimini Bhagwati, who retired recently.
India should simultaneously prioritise domestic exploration and production of more oil and gas in the country, and ensure we retain diversified suppliers for imports, points out former foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai.
A senior retired bureaucrat met Ranjan Mathai, then deputy high commissioner in London, and asked him casually where he was going to settle down after retirement. Mathai was frank. He didn't have a house. So he would have to do something, he didn't know what...
Bhadrakumar feels that the "despite the dust and heat in domestic politics", the government has done remarkably well in the foreign policy sphere and signs of "new thinking" have appeared. "Which is why the new foreign secretary will prove to be a great asset to the government," he said.
India's insistence on continuing to buy Iranian oil defying United States sanctions, drawing common approach on China, Af-Pak situation and peace negotiations with Taliban dominated the talks of Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, who concluded his maiden bilateral visit in Washington on Thursday. The "serious situation" in Maldives after the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed and the multi-billion jets deal found passing mentions during Mathai's meetings.
India is willing to advance its peace talks with Pakistan and discuss the Kashmir issue, but the main stumbling block is Islamabad's failure to clamp down on militant groups, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai has said.
Ahead of the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani next week, India on Saturday said there have been some "positive indicators" of "forward movement" from Islamabad.
India has proposed early presidential elections in Maldives to end the political impasse in the country following the ouster of the first democratically elected President Mohamed Nasheed.
Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on Thursday spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani and asked him to expedite the handing over the body of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who died in a Lahore hospital early on Thursday morning after battling for life for nearly a week.
Although much of the brief meeting was permeated with the news of the twin blasts in Hyderabad and the need for both countries to jointly combat the scourge of terrorism, according to sources, John Kerry emphasised and reiterated to Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai the importance of India and expressed his desire to engage and start discussions with India
Ranjan Mathai, who is on his first trip to Washington, DC after taking over as India's foreign secretary, on Monday added his voice to the growing chorus of senior Indian and Barack Obama administration officials attempting to rebut the growing perception in recent months that the envisaged India-United States strategic partnership is adrift.
United States Ambassador Nancy Powell on Thursday met Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and assured him US will share with India its inquiry report in the US navy ship firing incident in which one Indian fisherman was killed in Dubai.
The Congress party has claimed credit for the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, from the US, saying the Modi government did not initiate the process and merely benefited from the "mature, consistent and strategic diplomacy" begun under the UPA. Former Home Minister P Chidambaram said the government did not secure any breakthrough to make the extradition possible, nor is it the result of any grandstanding. He added that it was a testament to what the Indian state can achieve when diplomacy, law enforcement and international cooperation are pursued sincerely and without any kind of chest-thumping. Chidambaram detailed the UPA government's efforts in securing Rana's extradition, citing the registration of a case against him in 2009, diplomatic pressure on Canada and the US, and continued efforts despite legal setbacks. He highlighted the role of the UPA in securing Rana's conviction for other terrorism-related offences and the cooperation between the US and Indian agencies in gathering evidence and securing his extradition. The Congress leader further stated that it was the UPA's groundwork that paved the way for Rana's extradition, even after the change in government in 2014.
Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai concluded his first visit to Afghanistan for foreign office consultations after assuming office.
India and the United States will discuss a host of bilateral and regional issues during talks between top American officials and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, who arrived in Washington on Sunday. Mathai, who is in Washington on his first bilateral visit to the US, would also drive down to the Capitol Hill during his four-day trip to meet top US lawmakers.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Pakistan hinges on the progress on action taken by Islamabad against the perpetrators of Mumbai terror attack, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said on Thursday.
India will ask members of the United Nations to ensure a "zero tolerance" approach towards terrorism besides pressing for an early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism during the United Nations General Assembly's annual gathering of world leaders.
Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai is expected to meet United States Secretary of State John Kerry during his scheduled visit to Washington on February 20 - 22.
Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, who is visiting Washington, DC, has cautioned that India is unlikely to go along with tough sanctions against Iran even as the paranoia over that country's alleged nuclear weapons programme reaches fever-pitch. He also warned that any military action in the Gulf would plunge that region into grave instability and chaos.
During a meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers in New York on the sidelines of the 67th session of the General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "categorically stated that he supported India's permanent membership of the Security Council," Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said.
Economic challenges in the US should not lead to protectionism.
Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on Wednesday met United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and held a series of meetings at the State Department and the White House on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues.
Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on Monday met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and raised the issue of frequent attacks on fishermen from Tamil Nadu during his talks with authorities in the island nation, underlining that there was no room for violence. Ending his three-day visit to the nation, Mathai said that he had taken up the issue with the Lankan government. He was told that the Lankan navy was not involved in the attacks.
India on Monday said the United States Department of State maps showing Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) as part of Pakistan "will have to be corrected".
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in New Delhi on a three-day state visit. He was received by Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahmed and senior ministry officials including Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai.
India and other G4 countries have expressed their common vision for a reformed UN Security Council, seeking a concise working document which will serve as a basis for further negotiations on expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories.
Iran has promised India all cooperation in finding out who was behind the February 13 bombing targeting an Israeli diplomat's wife. The Iranians insisted there would be no problem in assisting the Indian government locate the individuals associated with the crime.
According to official sources, both the leaders met with their respective delegations for about 40 minutes. External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai were among those present during the delegation-level meet. Both the prime ministers also had one-to-one discussions for about 15 minutes
Pakistan Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani arrives in New Delhi on Tuesday to hold talks on Wednesday with his Indian counterpart Ranjan Mathai during which arrest of LeT terrorist Zabiuddin Ansari, who revealed Pakistan's involvement in November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is expected to be raised by New Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will leave for Germany on Wednesday on a three-day visit during which he will hold comprehensive talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on key bilateral, international and regional issues including India-EU FTA, Afghanistan and counter-terrorism.
India on Thursday made it clear to Pakistan that bringing those guilty in the 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice is the biggest confidence building measure that Islamabad could do.
Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan will hold talks in Delhi on July 4-5 to discuss peace and security, including Confidence Building Measures and Kashmir. As part of the second round of resumed dialogue process between India and Pakistan, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani.
Government feels that early conclusion of Idnia-EU trade pact will open up new economic opportunities.
Faced with severe criticism after Italy refused to send back two marines accused of killing Indian fishermen, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government may take a hard stand and expel Rome's envoy in New Delhi Daniele Mancini.
As it seeks the extradition of Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley from the United States, India has stressed on the need for the two sides to commit to the goal of assisting each other in the pursuit of justice.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday presenting the S K Singh Award for recognising excellence in the Indian Foreign Service, to Tanmaya Lal
Pakistan's High Commissioner Salman Bashir met Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai in New Delhi on Wednesday during which the latter lodged a protest against Tuesday's attack in which Pakistani troops crossed over the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch District and killed two soldiers.
India and China have already rejected the US' sanctions move.
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