"Australia wants to take the relationship with India to the front ranks of the partnerships we have," Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said at a joint press briefing with visiting External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee after the agreements were signed in Canberra. The two countries agreed to further strengthen their relationship by forming a new body to hold yearly talks and by signing treaties to increase anti-terror efforts.
The Centre on Saturday expressed its willingness for a dialogue with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, which in turn declared that Gorkhaland was not a separatist demand.Stating that the government was willing to talk to the GJM, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who held a brief meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, said, "There is no question of creating a separate state of Gorkhaland."
In a rare gesture, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday personally presented India's coveted civilian award Padma Bhushan to Ji Xianlin, renowned Chinese Indologist who has inspired love for Indian culture and literature among generations of his countrymen.
"An open and inclusive architecture, which is flexible enough to accommodate the great diversity that exists in Asia, is needed," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told students and scholars at the prestigious Peking University in Beijing. "We cannot transplant ideas from other parts of the world," Mukherjee said a day after holding wide-ranging talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.
India and China are understood to have discussed the latest row over Sikkim on Thursday, during talks between their Foreign Ministers, dominated by the festering boundary issue, with the two sides agreeing to use existing mechanisms whenever necessary to maintain peace and tranquility along the border.External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is on a four-day official visit to China, met his counterpart Yang Jiechi and discussed issues of mutual concern.
On the eve of Foreign Ministerial talks, India on Wednesday virtually rejected China's claim over a small part of Sikkim, saying the state's boundary issue has been settled. Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said the recent Chinese claim over the 'finger area' in Sikkim border would be discussed at the talks between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in Beijing on Thursday. China recently laid claim over the 'finger area'.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Wednesday, kick-starting his four-day visit to China, during which the boundary row and irritants surrounding it are expected to dominate his talks with the leadership in Beijing.
A core group of ministers on Wednesday held inconclusive deliberations on a proposal to raise fuel prices, necessitated by a spike in global crude prices that threatens to spawn an oil import crisis.
The CD, which will have 1940s' film songs, will remind Pakistanis of undivided India and the undivided talent in the Bombay film industry. The first song is Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya by Kundan Lal Sehgal from the film Shahjahan. The album signs off with the title track of Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna by Sonu Nigam.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday briefed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the Indo-US nuclear deal and raised the issues of delay in the delivery of Gorshkov aircraft carrier.
Although Afghanistan will be formally inducted as the eighth member of SAARC on Tuesday, Afghan Foreign Minister Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta also attended the meet.
Infosys chief mentor N R Narayan Murthy and renowned hotelier P R S Oberoi were also conferred with the award. The first man to step on the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary was conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
India on Friday urged the Sri Lankan government to cease its offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and declare a truce in the conflict zone. The Centre also rushed National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon to Colombo to step up its diplomatic pressure.The decision was taken at a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
The dialogue is intended to enhance all-round cooperation and contribute to greater regional peace and stability.
Among the other challenges, the big one is to maintain energy security in tune with the pace at which the country's economy is growing.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday advised the United States to leave the issue of Iran's nuclear programme to the International Atomic Energy Agency and not take up the responsibility of deciding Iran's position."Iran should convince the IAEA that their nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. We are advising Iran that being a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, you should satisfy the IAEA."
Pakistan will take up with India 'certain violations' of the provisions of a 1960 treaty in water projects, being constructed by the neighbouring country on Chenab and Jhelum rivers, during External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Islamabad in May.Design changes in the water projects being built by India go beyond the provisions of the Treaty and Pakistan is making efforts for their rectification. The Indus Waters Treaty gave Pakistan the rights to the rivers.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday hailed the victory of Maoists in Nepal, calling it a 'positive development'. "The Maoists have successfully taken part in the democratic process in Nepal," Mukherjee said. According to Mukherjee, India would be better off with democratically elected governments in place in the neighbouring countries.
"India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Bangladesh," Mukherjee told media persons wrapping up his day-long visit to Dhaka to invite Bangladesh to the forthcoming SAARC meet in New Delhi.
As External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee concluded his speech at the Conference, a delegate rose on his feet, displaying a Hindi daily, which had carried out a story on Wednesday on the personal website of the Consul General -- www.ausafsayeed.com -- alleging that it was selling Rushdie's books online.
Trouble appears to be brewing for the beleaguered Mulayam Singh Yadav government with the Centre reportedly considering the option of imposing President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh.
India and the United States on Monday urged China and the Dalai Lama to hold peaceful negotiations between them to resolve the pro-independence unrest in Tibet with Washington insisting that dialogue was the "only" policy that is sustainable in the Himalayan region.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Union Cabinet for the first time after he underwent a heart bypass surgery nearly two months ago. The meetings of the Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs were held at his official Race Course Road residence today, unlike the meetings which were held in South Block during his absence. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had presided over those meetings.
India on Monday welcomed the end to political crisis in Pakistan and hoped that government in Islamabad would be stable so that it can devote attention to fighting terrorism.
The minister said that during his recent visit to Islamabad, he had stressed that Pakistan should provide transit facility to Afghanistan through land.
"The Hyde Act is an enabling provision that is between the executive and the legislative organs of the US government," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a suo motu statement on foreign policy-related developments in the Lok Sabha. "India's rights and obligations regarding civil nuclear cooperation with the US arise only from the bilateral 123 Agreement that we have agreed upon with the US," he said.
The essential dispute is over China's refusal to acknowledge the McMohan Line as the border between the two nations, and staking claim to large tracts of land as a contiguous part of Tibet.
As India continues to push Pakistan to eliminate terrorism, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said he believes President Asif Ali Zardari is sincere about ending the menace, but underlined that his desire should be backed by actions. "I believe he (Zardari) has the desire to fight against terrorism," he said in an interview to a TV channel while describing the Pakistan President as a 'nice man and a gentleman'.
"Whenever we will be in a postion to share it with Pakistan, it will be done so," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told media-persons in New Delhi when asked when India will respond to Pakistan's questions.
China illegally claims approximately 90,000 square kilometres of Indian territory including Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday.
Pakistan has to do more to dismantle the terror infrastructure on its soil if it wants to resume the peace process with New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in New Delhi on Tuesday."As far as the composite dialogue is concerned, it has been paused. We expect Pakistan to do more to dismantle the terror infrastructure," Mukherjee told reporters. Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik had met Mukherjee on Monday.
The government had earlier this week briefed top BJP leadership on the same foreign policy issues.
The luncheon meeting took place at the prime minister's official Race Course Road residence.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has done much damage to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Welcoming Pakistan's response to the Mumbai dossier, India today said it will monitor further actions by Islamabad in ending cross-border terror and underlined that the neighbour has to choose what kind of ties it wants with New Delhi.
Describing the Mumbai attacks as the "most gruesome" manifestation of terrorism, India on Thursday asserted that it will use all means at its command to put an end to the cross-border scourge. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Mumbai was chosen as a target by Pakistani terrorists as they wanted to hit India's business and corporate "vistas".
"There is a need to sustain foreign trade, revive foreign investments and generate domestic demand in order to maintain our growth rates," said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also holding the finance portfolio. Boosting the economy was also necessary to "uplift multitudes living below the poverty line." Noting that India cannot remain immune to global crisis, he said, "India faces special challenges from the international financial crisis."
India on Wednesday adopted a wait-and-watch approach on reports from Pakistan that cases have been filed against Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist of the Mumbai attacks, and 13 others, saying it will comment only after receiving an official communication.
Responding to New Delhi's concerns, Bangladesh on Monday gave a commitment of not allowing its territory to be used for anti-India activities, as the two countries discussed a proposal for setting up a regional task force to tackle the menace. Reaching out to the new government in Dhaka, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee held talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and Home Minister Sahara Katun and conveyed concerns.
In an apparent reference to Pakistan, India on Monday said hurdles in the global war against terror are created by "unwillingness" or lack of "sincerity" on part of countries and any "architecture or framework" does not "stand in the way" of fighting the menace.
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