1) Indo-Pak Flag Meeting decides to defuse situation on LoC
- India and Pakistan on 21st September agreed to exercise restraint and work for defusing the situation on Line of Control (LoC) which has been witnessing repeated ceasefire violations. The senior Army officers of the two countries held a Flag Meeting in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir
- PRO Defence said that the Brigade Commander level Flag Meeting was held at Chakan-da-Bagh LoC crossing point in Poonch sector in forenoon.
- The representatives of the two nations addressed a host of issues regarding ongoing ceasefire violations, targeting of civilians and sniping action on the LoC
- This is the first Flag Meeting held at the level of Brigadiers after nearly 20 days of heavy firing and shelling of 120 mm, 82, 61 mm mortar bombs, RPGs and automatic weapons by Pakistani troops in Poonch district along the LoC.
- Pakistani troops have violated the ceasefire 25 times in September this year, shelling Indian civilian and military positions using 120 mm, 82 mm mortars, Rocket Projectile Grenades (RPGs) and automatic weapons, according to Indian officials. The last Brigade Commander level meeting was held on September 4 last year after the LoC saw 45-days of heaviest firing by Pakistani troops since 1971.
2) Indo-US strategic commercial dialogue begins
- The Indo-US strategic commercial dialogue began in US ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s visit to the US. India and US stressed on the need to bolster trade between the world`s two largest democracies to take the relationship forward.
- This was part of the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between India and US which began in US federal capital on 21st September.
- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is lead a large delegation comprising ministers of Commerce and Industry, Finance, Corporate Affairs, Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy, besides senior officials from various ministries and departments.
- The US delegation includes Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. They are accompanied by a high-level inter-agency delegation.
- During the Dialogue, several bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest were discussed between the two sides.
- A review of the entire the gamut of bilateral relations between India and the US was done and areas identified for future cooperation in strategic, defence and security; energy and environment; science & technology & space; health, education and human development; third country engagement; economy and finance; and trade and investment fields. On the sidelines of the dialogue, mechanisms were also held on energy, health, and climate change.
2) Government clears $2.5 billion deal for 15 Chinook and 22 Apache choppers
- The Union government has cleared the purchase of new attack and heavy lift helicopters from the US. The $2.5 billion deal for a new fleet of 15 Chinook and 22 Apache choppers are a huge boost for the air force & the contract is likely to be expanded to larger number in coming years.
- The private sector will benefit as the contract will bring in over $600 million into the defence and aerospace sector as offsets for the deal. Besides, both helicopters are game changers for India and not just on the military front.
3) Cabinet approves memorandum for cooperation in tourism with Cambodia
- The union cabinet gave ex post facto approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cambodia for cooperation in the field of tourism. The MoU was signed during the visit of Vice President Hamid Ansari to Cambodia on September 16.
- The main objectives of the agreement include exchange of information and data related to tourism, encouraging cooperation between tourism stakeholders like hotels and tour operators, exchange of visits of tour operators and opinion makers and participation in travel fairs and exhibitions in each other`s country. The release said that Cambodia was an emerging tourism source market for India.
- It said extension of the Electronic Tourist Visa facility for the citizens of Cambodia by the Indian government had elicited a good response from the travel trade in both countries.
4) India, Ireland agree for direct air services to boost tourism
- Current Affirs India and Ireland have agreed for direct air services by airlines of both countries. This was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after holding talks with his Irish counterpart Enda Kenny in Dublin this evening. Modi said the air link will not only promote business links between the two countries but also give a strong boost to tourism which is growing at 14 per cent annually.
- The two leaders held talks on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues ranging from information technology, bio technology, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and clean energy. The two leaders also discussed the role of United Nations in meeting global challenges.
- Modi said India has sought Ireland’s support for reforms of the United Nations Security Council within the fixed time frame and successful conclusion of intergovernmental negotiations in the 70th year of the United Nations. The Prime Minister said India also sought Ireland’s support for permanent membership of the reformed Security Council.
5) PM Modi meets US business leaders, CEOs of media firms in New York
- On the first day of his US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his engagements in New York with a round table on financial sector with about 15 business leaders of US. CEOs of several FIIs including JP Morgan Chase, Blackstone and AIG were among the prominent participants in the event.
- According to MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swaroop the CEOs interacted with the Prime Minister and gave their feedback on their experiences of investing in India. The participating business leaders also raised concerns about procedural delays and bankruptcy laws in India.
- The Prime Minister underlined the immense opportunities that India offers for investment as the government has undertaken an ambitious programme of development of infrastructure.
6) India, US and Japan elevate trilateral talks
- India, United States and Japan have decided to elevate their trilateral partnership to the ministerial level,first meeting of which would be held next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
7) India to hold Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Los Angeles:
- With a view to further increase people-to-people contacts between India and the United States, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced that India will be holding a regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Los Angeles in November this year. Both, India and the United States, appreciated the intense engagement between the two countries under various institutional bilateral dialogue mechanisms and people-to-people contacts boosting further ties.
8) US re-affirms its support for India`s bid to permanent seat in UN Security Council
- The first round of Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between India and the United States concluded with a joint declaration issued by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the US Secretary of State John Kerry.
- The declaration was important on many counts but it acquired special significance because America made a categorical reference to Pakistan asking it to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attack.
- It also specifically named terror groups such as Al-Qaida and its affiliates, Lashkar-e-Tayba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company, and the Haqqani Network, and other regional groups that seek to undermine peace and stability in South Asia.
- The declaration signified a deepening commitment of the two countries to fight the threat of terrorism in the region as well as globally.
- In a significant boost to India’s claim for permanent membership of the UN Security council, US reaffirmed its support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member.
- The two countries also set in motion a number of processes and activities to enhance the trade and investment ties between the two countries. India and US agreed to raise the level of trade between the two countries from the current level of close to 100 billion dollars by 5 times in the coming few years.