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Bilateral Current Affairs
July 2nd Week 2015 Current Affairs
Category : Bilateral Current Affairs
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1) India, Tajikistan agree to strengthen defence co-operation 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that India-Tajikistan relations, unlike the norm of territory or weaponry, are based on humanism. Modi unveiled the bust of Gurudev Rabindranath Thakur at Bukhoro Square in Dushanbe on 13th July 
 
In a joint press statement after the talks, both the leaders decided to reinvigorate official-level interactions through Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that combating terrorism and extremism has always been an important and productive area of cooperation. He said at the time of growing threat of terrorism both the countries have further resolved to intensify their cooperation. 
 
  • India and Tajikistan also pledged to further deepen their cooperation to fight the menace and agreed to step up defence ties besides boosting trade and investment.  
  • Both the nations have also agreed to promote the international North South Transport Corridor and have discussed measures to tap the rich potential in trade and commerce as well as to encourage joint ventures and investments. He and the President also visited India-Tajik Friendship Hospital. 
 
2) India, Georgia ink MoU on electoral cooperation
India and Georgia have signed a MoU in New Delhi, for cooperation in the field of election management and administration. The MoU was signed by the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr. Nasim Zaidi and Chairperson, Central Election Commission of Georgia, Ms Tamar Zhvania on 13th July. 
 
  • The major aims of the MoU are, promotion of exchanges of knowledge and experience in electoral processes, exchange of information, materials, expertise and training of personnel, production and distribution of materials pertaining to electoral systems, voting technology, voters’ education and awareness and participation of women and minorities in electoral process. 
  • Election Commission of India has so far signed twenty MOUs with Election Management Bodies and international organizations across the world. Some of the MoUs signed recently are with the Kyrgyz Republic, Yemen, Mauritius, Egypt, Venezuela and Republic of Korea. 

3) India, Myanmar recommit to fight terrorism, insurgent activities

India and Myanmar have reaffirmed their commitment to fight the scourge of terrorism and insurgent activities in all its forms and manifestations. The two countries emphasized the need for enhanced cooperation between the security forces and border guarding agencies for securing peace and stability in the border areas. 
 
  • It was agreed that the first meeting of India-Myanmar Joint Boundary Group to address all outstanding boundary issues would be held in New Delhi at the earliest. 
 
4) India, Uzbekistan sign key pacts in tourism, culture
Current Affirs India and Uzbekistan have signed agreements during delegation level talks held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov in Tashkent on 6th July. The agreements are signed in the field of tourism, culture and protocol. 
 
  • The Indian Prime Minister also held bilateral talks with Uzbekistan President at Kuksaroy Presidential complex. 
 
Other points:
  • Both sides agree to enhance co-operation in defence and cyber security and to improve trade and connectivity.
  • PM Modi invited Uzbekistan to join international North-South transport corridor and says India`s presence in SCO will strengthen the organisation.
  • Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday arrived in Uzbekistan`s capital Tashkent on the first leg of his 8-day visit to Central Asia and Russia.
  • PM`s visit aims to enhance strategic, economic and energy ties between India on the one hand and Central Asia and Russia on the other besides attending the BRICS and SCO summits at Ufa in Russia.
  • From Neighbourhood first to ‘Act East’ from ‘Link West to Indian Ocean diplomacy’ now the focus is on ‘Reconnect Central Asia’.
  • Political cooperation, counter terrorism cooperation, cyber cooperation, lack of surface connectivity, Uzbekistan joining NSIC, post 2014 Afghanistan situation, defence cooperation and need for joint working group on defence were some of the issues that were discussed.
  • India lauded Uzbekistan`s support for India`s membership in SCO and permanent membership of UNSC.
  • Showcasing a bond of several millennia in the backdrop of historic, civilizational and cultural ties with Uzbekistan the PM Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome by President Karimov at the Kuksaroy Complex.
  • Stressing on the need for counter-terrorism co-operation PM pointed to the threat of instability in Afghanistan owing to the rising violent extremism there.
  • He pointed a finger at those in the neighbourhood that provide safe havens to terrorists and gave a call to counter the challenge collectively.
  • The Prime Minister also made a strong case for India`s inclusion in Shanghai Co-operation Orgnaisation as a full time member.
  • There are close cultural linkages which have influenced Indian architecture, dance, music and cuisine. Indian movies have traditionally been popular in Uzbekistan. Uzbek radio completed 50 years of Hindi broadcasting in 2012.
  • Tashkent is one of centers of Indology in the world and has historical significance for Indo-Pak ties since the Tashkent Declaration was signed there in 1966 which was a peace agreement between the two neighbours after the 1965 war.
  • There is considerable interest in Uzbekistan in cooperation with India in the area of Information Technology. A vibrant Indian community numbering nearly 3000 lives in Uzbekistan.
  • PM`s visit to Central Asia aims to reconnect with them and reinvigorate ties with the strategically important region.
  • PM Modi also stressed on the importance of greater connectivity between the two nations and proposed Uzbekistan to join north south corridor.
  • India made clear its concerns regarding Afghanistan and once again stressed on the importance of fighting terror together.
  • The joint statement reflected the commitment and desire of closer ties between the two countries.
 

5) Japan`s NEC to develop hi-tech security system for Tirupati

Pushing for a closer collaboration with Japanese companies in areas of technology and investments, the Andhra Pradesh government has signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with Japanese IT and networking solutions provider NEC and Mizuho Bank Limited in a latest round of bilateral meetings in Japan. These agreements come on the back of the ongoing tour of AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is visiting Japan for a second time in less than three months. 
 
  • A MoU signed between NEC India Private Limited, a subsidiary of diversified business conglomerate NEC, with Andhra Pradesh Technology Services Limited (APTS) aims to build a safe city project for the temple town of Tirupati by creating future-proof solution architecture to establish a common platform for integration of all technology components into the central city operations centre. 
  • The company also involves in developing a city surveillance system with surveillance cameras, facial recognition solution and behaviour detection, a domain of video analytics, and develops smart transport management system with automated number plate recognition, automatic vehicle tracking and automatic fare collection. 
  • NEC proposes to collaborate with the state government in evolving a smart policing mechanism through an automated fingerprint identification system, facial recognition-based forensic and dial 100 platform
  • The MoU speaks of establishing a centre of excellence for the safe city project, which is supposed to undertake R&D, capacity building and consultancy on technological aspects relating to these areas besides setting up an NEC development centre in the state. 
  • The second MoU is between Sunrise AP, state’s nodal agency for investment promotion, and Mizuho Bank Limited.  
  • Mizuho, a global financial institution having business relationship with 70 per cent of listed Japanese companies, intends to facilitate and support resource and investment activities in both the countries and promote Japanese investments in India by leveraging its vast customer base, the government said. 
  • According to the MoU, the AP nodal agency will facilitate Mizuho’s client companies investing in AP and doing business with Indian companies by introducing local partners as well as by assisting them in implementing the projects in Andhra Pradesh. 
  • It may be recalled that the AP government had already signed a number of agreements with some of the top Japanese companies, including Sumitomo Corporation, which has been entrusted to build a super-critical thermal power project in the north coastal district of Srikakulam. 
  • SoftBank chairman and Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, who met the chief minister in Hyderabad soon after announcing a joint venture to fund projects in the Indian renewable energy sector in Delhi last month, would also be playing an important role in bringing investments to the state.  
 
6) India-Kazakhstan: Common heritage paves way for promising future
India and Uzbekistan have signed three agreements during delegation level talks held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov in Tashkent on 7th July
 
  • The agreements are signed in the field of tourism, culture and protocol. The Indian Prime Minister also held bilateral talks with Uzbekistan President at Kuksaroy Presidential complex. 
  • Both sides agree to enhance co-operation in defence and cyber security and to improve trade and connectivity. 
  • PM`s visit aims to enhance strategic, economic and energy ties between India on the one hand and Central Asia and Russia on the other besides attending the BRICS and SCO summits at Ufa in Russia. 
  • From Neighbourhood first to ‘Act East’ from ‘Link West to Indian Ocean diplomacy’ now the focus is on ‘Reconnect Central Asia’. 
  • Political cooperation, counter terrorism cooperation, cyber cooperation, lack of surface connectivity, Uzbekistan joining NSIC, post 2014 Afghanistan situation, defence cooperation and need for joint working group on defence were some of the issues that were discussed. 
  • PM Modi also stressed on the importance of greater connectivity between the two nations and proposed Uzbekistan to join north south corridor.
  • The talks between the two leaders focused on not only the development of commerce and trade in the region but also on the important aspect of the security in the region. 
  • India made clear its concerns regarding Afghanistan and once again stressed on the importance of fighting terror together.  
  • The two countries signed agreements for cooperation in field of foreign affairs, tourism and culture among others. 
  • Prime Minister also invited President Karimov to pay a visit to India at his convenience. The dates of the visit shall be agreed through diplomatic channels.  
  • Nazarbayev University students’ address: PM Narendra Modi addressed the students of Nazarbayev Universiyt in Kazakhstan and congratulated the first batch of graduate students. He further added that no Indian will forget Kazakhstan`s generosity in making way for India`s bid for the membership of the UN Security Council in 2011-12.  
  • The Prime Minister also inaugurated India-Kazakh Centre for Excellence in Information and Communication Technology. 
 
7) India Inks New Nuclear Deal with Kazakhstan
 
In an agreement reached while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kazakhstan July 6, Central Asia’s largest economy and the world’s largest producer of uranium will supply India with 5,000 metric tons of nuclear fuel in the 2015-2019 period. Between 2010 and 2014, Kazakhstan supplied India with 2,100 metric tons of uranium. 
 
  • India has seven nuclear power plants, which operate a total of 21 nuclear reactors. Six more nuclear reactors are under construction. India’s aim is to supply a quarter of its electricity from nuclear power by 2050, an ambitious goal. 
  • Last summer, Modi directed the Department of Atomic Energy to triple India’s nuclear capacity to 17 GWe by 2024. 
  • Initially, the development of Indian nuclear power production was largely independent. Excluded from the nuclear nonproliferation treaty (NPT) because it acquired nuclear weapons after 1970, Indian nuclear energy development proceeded without external fuel sources or technical assistance. In September 2008, however, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)–a multinational group formed in 1974 in response to India’s first nuclear weapons test that controls the export and re-transfer of nuclear materials–granted India a waiver, allowing it to engage in international nuclear trade. The waiver came after significant U.S. pressure, most clearly stated in the signing of the Indian-United States Civil Nuclear Agreement in 2006. 
  • India now has uranium contracts with Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, Argentina, and Namibia. 
  • Kazakhstan produces 38 percent of the world’s uranium–22,451 metric tons in 2013–more than the next three top producers combined (Canada, Australia, and Niger). The country is also set to host the International Atomic Energy Agency’s low-enriched uranium (LEU) bank, a facility which will stockpile LEU, used in civilian nuclear power reactors, in order to assure supply to members should they experience a disruption. 
  • India and Kazakhstan also made a number of other agreements during Modi’s visit, covering military cooperation, coordination on counterterrorism, and range of economic and business deals. Other agreements are in defence, railways 
  • Modi gift to Kazakhstan president: Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a set of books relating to religions born in India to Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The gift set includes the English translation of Guru Granth Sahib along with specially commissioned reproductions from the manuscripts collection of National Museum in Delhi. 
  • The gift set also includes one of Jainism`s revered texts, Bhadrabahu`s Kalpasutra in Prakrit; one of Buddhism`s scriptures Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita in Sanskrit; and a Persian translation of Valmiki`s Ramayana in nastaliq script. 
  • President Nazarbayev has been organising a Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions every three years at the Palace of Peace and Accord in Astana since 2003.