AIR World Service English

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15th August 2020 said, we shall be entering into the 75 years of our free existence. This is a momentous occasion. All 130 crore Indians have to make significant pledges for the coming two years. When we complete the 75 years of our freedom, we will be able celebrate the redemption of those pledges. Our forefathers fought for this freedom with extreme commitment, utmost integrity, sincere penance, renunciation and sacrifice; we should never forget the way they laid their lives for Mother India. We should never forget that during this long and dark ages of slavery, not even a moment was lost when they were not moved by the desire for freedom. Prime Minister said Under the leadership of Bapuji (Mahatma Gandhi), the great national awakening accompanied by mass movements, gave new impetus to the struggle for freedom. And so today we are blessed to be able to celebrate our Independence Day with s...

External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar and the Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid held a meeting through video conference. The interaction was a part of regular high-level exchanges between India and Maldives. It provided an opportunity to take stock of bilateral relations and make some landmark announcements in the context of COVID-19 and the overall bilateral partnership. The Ministers reviewed the state of time-tested relations between India and the Maldives, and noted with satisfaction that during the COVID-19 pandemic, India stands by its close maritime neighbour and friend in these difficult times. India and Maldives worked very closely in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Maldives is the largest beneficiary of Indian COVID-19-related assistance among neighbouring countries. Dr. Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s continued commitment for all possible support to the Maldives for minimising the health and economic impact of the pandemic. On Maldives’ request, ...

Addressing the nation on the eve of India’s 74th Independence Day, President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind said, the ethos of our freedom struggle forms the foundation of modern India. Our visionary leaders brought together a diversity of world views to forge a common national spirit. We are fortunate that Mahatma Gandhi became the guiding light of our freedom movement. As much a saint as a political leader, he was a phenomenon that could have happened only in India. Troubled by social strife, economic problems, and climate change, the world seeks relief in Gandhiji’s teachings. His quest for equality and justice is the mantra for our Republic. The President observed, he was glad to see the younger generations re-discover Gandhiji. This year, the celebrations of Independence Day would be rather restrained. The reason is obvious. The whole world is confronting a deadly virus which has disrupted all activities and taken a huge toll. It has altered the world we lived in before the pand...

On the first anniversary of revocation of Article 370 by India, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi took Saudi Arabia to task in a TV interview for not obliging Pakistan over the issue of ‘organising’ a meeting of the Council of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers (CFM) on Kashmir in early February 2020. Qureshi had stated in his interview with a TV channel that unless the OIC convened CFM meeting on Kashmir, Pakistan would be “compelled to convene a meeting of Islamic countries that are ready to stand with it on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiri Muslims”. He allowed himself to be swayed by emotions to cross the line, when he said “Today Pakistanis, who are always ready to sacrifice their lives for Mecca and Madina, need Saudi Arabia to play a leading role on the Kashmir issue. If they are not willing play that role, then I will ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to go ahead with or without Saudi Arabia." Saudi Arabia was not t...

The incumbent President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko has won the 2020 presidential election. He has been President of Belarus for more than 26 years. As the election results were declared, the capital Minsk and other places saw protests as citizens took to street to show their dissatisfaction. However, the election results are not expected to have any impact on the bilateral relationship between India and Belarus. India’s relations with Belarus have been traditionally warm and cordial. India was one of the first countries to recognize Belarus as an independent country in 1991 after the break-up of the Soviet Union. This recognition has helped the two countries to develop good understanding and commonality of views on various matters and cooperate with each other in multilateral fora on issues of mutual interest. The cooperation between the two countries are visible at many multilateral fora such as UN Security Council (UNSC) and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). In fact, Belarus was ...

Hopes of starting peace negotiations between Afghan Taliban and the US government now appear a shade brighter. This became apparent as the three-day Grand Assembly meeting (Loya Jirga) held in Kabul from August 7 to August 9 decided in favour of releasing the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners from its custody. On the face of it, this was a concession granted to the Taliban by the Grand Assembly in the hope that it would pave the pave for talks—and hopefully, peace. This initiative may be seen in the context of the peace agreement signed between the Taliban and the United States in Doha last February. The agreement provided for the release of the Taliban prisoners as a pre-condition for starting the peace talks. As a follow-up, the Afghan government released five thousand Taliban prisoners during the past six months. What remained behind were four hundred prisoners. These, as President Ashraf Ghani kept insisting, were guilty of having committed serious crimes and so must face trial. But...

The third edition of Invest India Exclusive Investment Forum—Japan Edition was held recently. The objective is to further strengthen India-Japan trade and investment cooperation by creating enabling conditions for businesses as they grapple with the impact of COVID 19. Japan is one of the key partners in advancing economic modernisation of India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of building a self-reliant (Atmanirbhar) India. Sourcing advanced technologies and active mobilization of Japanese public and private sector investments are of vital importance for New Delhi. India is a preferred destination for Japanese companies owing to its huge market. India featured in the top position, overtaking China, in the latest “Survey Report on Overseas Business Operations by Japanese Manufacturing Companies” done by Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Japan is the fourth largest investor in India with cumulative FDI inflows of US$ 33.5 billion from 2000-2020, accounting for ...