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Diplomacy

New Delhi: )73.7 per cent Indians want Tibet’s status as buffer zone to be restored to prevent border conflict with China
73.7 per cent Indians want Tibet’s status as buffer zone to be restored to prevent border conflict with China
A majority of Indians want the historic status of Tibet as a buffer zone between India and China to be restored to prevent border conflicts.
73.7 per cent Indians want Tibet’s status as buffer zone to be restored to prevent border conflict with China
73.7 per cent Indians want Tibet’s status as buffer zone to be restored Key HighlightsThe survey included a sample size of 3,000 people spread across the countryNearly 80 per cent Indians support free Tibet, as per the IANS C-Voter Tibet PollNearly 80 per cent believe India’s actions can bolster Tibetan cause
New Delhi: A majority of Indians want restoring Tibet’s historic status as a buffer zone in order to prevent border conflicts between India and China.

Responding to IANS C-Voter Tibet Poll question ‘Do you think it is important to restore the historic status of Tibet as a buffer zone or a zone of peace in order to prevent border conflicts between India and China’, 73.7 per cent of the respondents answered in affirmative while 13.8 per cent said ‘No’.

12.6 per cent Indians said they couldn’t comment on the matter.

80 per cent Indians support free Tibet
The survey was conducted based on a sample size of 3,000 people spread all over the country.

In terms of gender, 13.4 per cent male replied they couldn’t comment, 72.8 per cent agreed with the query, while 13.8 per cent said ‘No’. Among females, 74.7 per cent agreed, 13.7 per cent answered in the negative, while 11.7 per cent said they couldn’t comment, IANS reported.

A majority of the Indian youth between the age group of 18 to 24 years backed the idea with 12.0 per cent saying they couldn’t comment on the matter while 73.5 per cent said ‘Yes’.

’80 per cent believe India’s actions can bolster Tibetan cause’
In the 25-34 age group, 12.2 per cent were undecided, 72.5 per cent agreed while 15.3 per cent answered in the negative.

46 per cent Indians feel that international human rights organisations have done little to help the Tibetan cause.

A whopping 80 per cent Indians support free Tibet and feel that India can make a difference to the Tibetan cause.

With anti-China emotions running high in India more people are willing to back Tibet and its cause; however, it requires a clear understanding of the ground situation and more people need to be educated about India’s historic ties with Tibet

January 22, 2021 by BrahmaFeed

Diplomacy

Modi visited 58 countries since the year 2015 costs Rs 517.82 crore

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited 58 countries since the year 2015. These foreign trips of PM Narendra Modi cost Rs 517.82 crore, the external affairs ministry said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

The ministry also said that during PM Narendra Modi’s visits to the foreign countries, some major Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) on trade, investment, techonology and defense field were signed. The PM visited 58 countries since 2015 which cost Rs 517.82 crore. During this visit, major MoUs were signed, the MEA said.

The external affairs ministry also said the team of United States President Donald Trump was not tested for coronavirus when it arrived in India in February.

The ministry explained that Donald Trump’s team was not tested for the coronavirus as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease a pandemic only on March 11, while the United States’ President had visited India on February 24-25th.

“The Trump team was not required a coronavirus test during its visit to India because the WHO declared this [Covid-19] a pandemic on March 11, while they visited India on 24-25th February,” the MEA said, replying to a question by MP Binoy Viswam in the Rajya Sabha.

The ministry also said that the screening of international passengers began from March 4. “Standards, protocols were followed during Donald Trump’s visit,” MEA said.

“India supported 150 countries in their fight against coronavirus by providing medicines and medical devices. India grant Rs 80 crore to 80 countries including China. We received support from Japan, US, France, Germany and Israel,” the ministry said.

September 24, 2020 by BrahmaFeed

Diplomacy

PM Has Visited 58 Nations Since 2015 At Cost Of Rs 517 Crore: Centre

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited 58 countries since 2015 at a total cost of Rs 517 crore, the government said Tuesday in a written response to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha.
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the Prime Minister had visited the United States and Russia the most – five visits each. PM Modi has also visited China – with whom India is engaged in a prolonged and serious border stand-off in eastern Ladakh – five times, he added.

Among other countries visited by the Prime Minister are Singapore, Germany, France, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka, Mr Muraleedharan said.

“The total expenditure on these visits was Rs 517.82 crore,” he said, in a report by news agency PTI, noting that while some of the visits were part of multi-nation trips, others were standalone bilateral visits.

The Prime Minister’s last trip abroad was to Brazil (in November last year) to attend a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit. He also visited Thailand earlier that month.

PM Modi has made no visits in 2020 because of the global lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Muraleedharan told the parliament the visits had enhanced other countries’ understanding of India’s perspectives on bilateral, regional and global issues.

The visits also helped strengthen economic relations across a wide range of sectors, including trade and investment, technology, defence collaboration and people-to-people contact, the minister said.

However, in December 2018 the government said over Rs 2,000 crore had been spent on the PM’s foreign visits since June 2014 – these, it said, included expenses on chartered flights, maintenance of aircraft and hotline facilities.

According to the data (shared by then Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh), a total of Rs 1,583.18 crore was spent on maintenance of the Prime Minister’s aircraft and Rs 429.25 crore on chartered flights during the period between June 15, 2014 and December 3, 2018. The total expenditure on hotline was Rs 9.11 crore.

While the Prime Minister’s visits have been widely praised by many for boosting India’s profile abroad and helping generate FDI (foreign direct investment), the opposition has sometimes criticised the costs involved and questioned the timing.

Before the national election in April and May last year, Rahul Gandhi targeted PM Modi for travelling abroad while there was a crisis in the farm sector. PM Modi’s BJP eventually swept the national election, cementing his term for another five years.

September 23, 2020 by BrahmaFeed

Diplomacy

India appoints Gaurangalal Das as new Ambassador to Taiwan

India has selected senior diplomat, Gaurangalal Das who has been handling Indo-US relations as its new ambassador in Taipei.

As per reports, Gaurangalal Das, Joint Secretary (US) in the Ministry of External Affairs will be the next Ambassador of India to Taiwan.

Das who hails from Assam is a 1999 batch Indian Foreign Service officer and an alumnus of St Stephen’s College in Delhi. He did his schooling from Barpeta, Assam and has completed his Higher Secondary from Cotton College.

Das has worked in various capacities in Beijing, Washington and has served as the Deputy Secretary for External Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office during the tenure of Manmohan Singh. As a Counselor (Political) at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, he played an important role (Indo-US relationship) during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2017 when he met US President Donald Trump.

This development came at a time when strategic negotiations have begun to strengthen diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Taipei. China and the United States have been asserting rights over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

It needs to be mentioned here that India has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan due to the One-China Policy. However, it has an office in Taipei that is operated under the name of Indo-Taipei Association, now Das will be its new Director-General. He will replace Sreedharan Madhusudan.

Meanwhile, Taiwan also effected a change by appointing Bashan Ger, director-general of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as Taiwan’s representative to India. Ger will succeed Tien Chung-Kwang.

The Chinese ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, said in a statement on Friday, “We need to respect and accommodate mutual core interests and key concerns, which are non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.”

As reported in The Print, the centre is considering a major diplomatic reshuffle and will soon be sending some of its bright diplomats Vikram Doraiswami, Rudrendra Tandon and Gourangalal Das to Dhaka, Kabul and Taipei, respectively.

July 15, 2020 by BrahmaFeed

Diplomacy

Nepal’s cable TV operators switch signals of Indian news channels except DD

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Cable television providers have said that signals for
Indian news channels, except Doordarshan, have been switched off in the
country. There is, however, no official order issued in this regard.
“We have turned off the signals of the Indian Channels from this evening,”
Dhruba Sharma of Mega Max TV, a Channel operator of Nepal confirmed
to ANI.
The move by Nepal’s Multi-System Operators (MSO) comes hours after
former Deputy Prime Minister and Spokesperson of the ruling Nepal
Communist Party (NCP) Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that the Indian media
must stop the “baseless propaganda” against Nepal government and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Shrestha expressed his disbelief on the extent to which some media channels have gone to
defame the current government.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between India and Nepal after Kathmandu issued a new map incorporating some
portions of Indian territories in May.

July 10, 2020 by BrahmaFeed

Diplomacy

Aggression and expansion not in our genes : Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said aggression and expansion is not in the genes of the Chinese nation throughout its 5000-year old history.
Highlights: ‘Aggression and expansion has never been in the genes of the Chinese nation throughout its 5,000 years history’China cannot be another USAfter India’s Galwan Valley, Nepal and South China Sea, China is now eyeing Bhutanq
New Delhi: China has claimed India’s Galwan Valley, encroached land in Nepal, has opened another border dispute with Bhutan but wants the world to believe that it is not expansionist in nature.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has said, “Aggression and expansion has never been in the genes of the Chinese nation throughout its 5,000 years history, and China cannot and will not be another US.”

Yi was speaking in US-China ties when he gave this statement adding that he expects that the US will build a more objective understanding of China and a more rational policy toward the country.

China using COVID-19 to pursue its expansionist agenda
The US and China are locked in a bitter tussle over coronavirus and China’s recent aggressions in the Himalayas and the South China Sea.

Beijing’s belligerence forced the US to shift its troops positioned in Germany to other places with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that the decision was taken after the US revisited the threats it faced and how they should be thwarted.

Continuing with its expansionist agenda, China created a new border dispute with Bhutan during a virtual meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) where it objected to the grant for Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) in eastern Bhutan’s Trashigang district bordering India and China, claiming that the location was disputed.

Similarly, in Nepal, China is using road construction in Tibet to occupy its land and according to a Nepal government report, it may establish outposts at the border in the near future.

According to a list prepared by Nepal’s Survey Department of Agriculture Ministry, China has encroached on 10 places which comprise of nearly 33 hectares of Nepalese land and as per the report, China has also been diverting the flow of rivers to increase its territory.

July 9, 2020 by BrahmaFeed

Diplomacy

Boundary With China Not Demarcated, Under Negotiation, Says Bhutan

New Delhi: The boundary between Bhutan and China is under negotiation and has not been demarcated, the Royal Bhutanese embassy in India has said.
“24 rounds of ministerial-level boundary talks held, 25th round delayed due to COVID. All disputed areas to be discussed in next round, to be held as soon as mutually convenient,” the Royal Bhutanese embassy said in a statement.

Bhutan’s statement comes amid reports of Chinese claims over Sakteng wildlife sanctuary in eastern Bhutan.

July 8, 2020 by BrahmaFeed

Diplomacy

Bhutan Accepts India’s SAARC Proposal On Coronavirus, Hails PM Modi’s Leadership

Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership while accepting India’s proposal to the members of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to formulate a “strong strategy” to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Tshering took to Twitter to support the call of Prime Minister Modi and urged the SAARC nations to coordinate in this fight. Bhutanese PM raised concern about smaller economies and displayed confidence in PM Modi’s leadership to achieve “immediate” and “impactful” outcome.

This is what we call leadership. As members of this region, we must come together in such times. Smaller economies are hit harder, so we must coordinate. With your leadership, I have no doubt we will see immediate and impactful outcome. Looking forward to the video conference. https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1238371182094639104 …

Narendra Modi

✔@narendramodi

I would like to propose that the leadership of SAARC nations chalk out a strong strategy to fight Coronavirus.

We could discuss, via video conferencing, ways to keep our citizens healthy.

Together, we can set an example to the world, and contribute to a healthier planet.

PM Modi had proposed that the SAARC countries could discuss the ways, via video conferencing, to keep citizens healthy. Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and the Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih also thanked Prime Minister for taking the initiative and welcomed the proposal.

Thank you PM @narendramodi for taking the initiative on this important endeavor. Covid 19 requires collective effort to defeat it. Maldives welcomes this proposal and would fully support such a regional effort. https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1238371182094639104 …

Narendra Modi

✔@narendramodi

I would like to propose that the leadership of SAARC nations chalk out a strong strategy to fight Coronavirus.

We could discuss, via video conferencing, ways to keep our citizens healthy.

Together, we can set an example to the world, and contribute to a healthier planet.

PM Modi’s proposal and quick response from SAARC members could revive the regional intergovernmental organisation which has been dormant since the bilateral relationship between India and Pakistan hit the nadir.

March 13, 2020 by News Room Desk

Diplomacy

‘Will never accept this solution’: Palestinian prez threatens to sever ties with Israel, US

The US plan would grant the Palestinians limited self-rule in parts of the occupied West Bank, while allowing Israel to annex all its settlements there and keep nearly all of east Jerusalem.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrives for an emergency meeting with the Arab League's foreign ministers after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his Middle East peace plan, in Cairo. — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrives for an emergency meeting with the Arab League’s foreign ministers after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his Middle East peace plan, in Cairo. (REUTERS)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to cut security ties with both Israel and the U.S. on Saturday, in a lengthy speech delivered at an Arab League meeting in Egypt’s capital that denounced a White House plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The US plan would grant the Palestinians limited self-rule in parts of the occupied West Bank, while allowing Israel to annex all its settlements there and keep nearly all of east Jerusalem.

The summit of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo was requested by the Palestinians, who responded angrily to the American proposal.

Abbas said that he told Israel and the US that “there will be no relations with them, including the security ties” following the deal that Palestinians say heavily favors Israel.

There was no immediate comment from US or Israeli officials.

The Palestinian leader said that he’d refused to take US President Donald Trump’s phone calls and messages “because I know that he would use that to say he consulted us.”

“I will never accept this solution,” Abbas said. “I will not have it recorded in my history that I have sold Jerusalem.”

He said the Palestinians remain committed to ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a state with its capital in east Jerusalem.

Abbas said that the Palestinians wouldn’t accept the US as a sole mediator in any negotiations with Israel. He said they would go to the United Nations Security Council and other world and regional organizations to “explain our position.”

The Arab League’s head, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, said the proposal revealed a “sharp turn” in the long-standing US foreign policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“This turn does not help achieve peace and a just solution,” he declared.

Aboul-Gheit said that the Palestinians reject the proposal. He called for the two sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to negotiate to reach a “satisfactory solution for both of them.”

President Trump unveiled the long-awaited proposal Tuesday in Washington. It would allow Israel to annex all its West Bank settlements — which the Palestinians and most of the international community view as illegal — as well as the Jordan Valley, which accounts for roughly a fourth of the West Bank.

In return, the Palestinians would be granted statehood in Gaza, scattered chunks of the West Bank and some neighborhoods on the outskirts of Jerusalem, all linked together by a new network of roads, bridges and tunnels. Israel would control the state’s borders and airspace and maintain overall security authority. Critics of the plan say this would rob Palestinian statehood of any meaning.

The plan would abolish the right of return for Palestinian refugees displaced by the 1948 war and their descendants, a key Palestinian demand. The entire agreement would be contingent on Gaza’s Hamas rulers and other armed groups disarming, something they have always adamantly rejected.

Ambassadors from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman attended the Tuesday unveiling in Washington, in a tacit sign of support for the US initiative.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Arab states that are close US allies, said they appreciated President Trump’s efforts and called for renewed negotiations without commenting on the plan’s content.

Egypt urged in a statement Israelis and Palestinians to “carefully study” the plan. It said it favors a solution that restores all the “legitimate rights” of the Palestinian people through establishing an “independent and sovereign state on the occupied Palestinian territories.”

The Egyptian statement did not mention the long-held Arab demand of east Jerusalem as a capital to the future Palestinian state, as Cairo usually has its statements related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Jordan, meanwhile, warned against any Israeli “annexation of Palestinian lands” and reaffirmed its commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines, which would include all the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab countries that have peace treaties with Israel.

February 1, 2020 by News Room Desk

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