Ministry Of External Affairs News

The Russian embassy in India said on Tuesday that it was aware of a Russian cargo ship in detention at the Indian port of Cochin."Russian Embassy in India is aware of the Russian cargo ship detention in the Indian port of Cochin, on board of which a military cargo for the Indian Armed Forces was delivered," Reuters partner ANI quoted the embassy as saying."The Embassy has sent to the Ministry of External Affairs of India an official request for explanation of the circumstances of the incident. We have also asked the Ministry to ensure unconditional observance of the rights of the Russian ship-owners and crew," ANI quoted the embassy as saying(Reuters - Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Commercial operations began at ndia Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), at Chabahar with the arrival of a vessel after Government of India took over the operations.A Cyprus registered bulk carrier had arrived at Chabahar with 72458 MT of corn cargo. The vessel MV MACHERAS berthed at the terminal at 0130 hrs on 30th December 2018. Thus IPGCFZ carried out its first cargo operation by discharging the imported cargo(ex Brazil) using pneumatic un-loaders.India has written a history with its engagement in Chabahar, claimed a governement release. The physical take-over of the terminal area, cargo handling equipment and Office building was completed by 29th December 2018. The country is now leading the regional cooperation and joint efforts to support land locked Afghanistan.

India has formally taken over operations at Iran’s strategic Chabahar Port. According to the government of India, India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ) a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of Indian Ports Global (IPGL) in Iran has taken over interim operation of the Chabahar Port with effect from December 24.Representatives from India, Iran, and Afghanistan met in Tehran to formally hand over control to IPGL.Accoding to IRNA news agency, IPGL had been granted the lease for “a temporary period of 18 months and a ten-year period afterwards.” IPGL’s management would include “loading and unloading, supplying equipment and marketing.”The U.S.

With an eye on China’s activities in the region, India said that the first meeting of its officials with those from the US, Australia and Japan — described as the “quadrilateral” — agreed that a “free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large”. "Officials from India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and United State’s Department of State met in Manila on November 12, 2017 for consultations on issues of common interest in the Indo-Pacific region," said a government release.

Pirates have hijacked an Indian commercial ship off the coast of Somalia, the second attack in weeks after years of inactivity, industry and security sources said on Monday. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which coordinates the management of merchant ships and yachts in the Gulf of Aden area, said it had received information that a dhow en route to Bosasso from Dubai had been hijacked "in the vicinity of Socotra (Island)". A spokesman said UKMTO could not confirm the location of the vessel, which he identified as Al Kausar, or what exactly had taken place, and that investigations were continuing. "We understand Somali pirates hijacked a commercial Indian ship (and it is heading) towards Somalia shores…

India and the U.S. held the first round of discussions under the recently-constituted maritime security dialogue between officials of Defence and External Affairs ministries and their U.S. counterparts. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Shear, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Manpreet Anand and Vice Admiral Aucoin, Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, met with their Indian counterparts from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defense to discuss strategic maritime security issues. “Among the issues discussed were Asia-Pacific maritime challenges, naval cooperation, and multilateral engagement,” the U.S. Embassy said. U.S.

India has expressed the hope that the Asean-India Maritime Transport cooperation agreement will be finalised by the end of the year, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. "We have identified maritime cooperation as a major area and both sides have started talks on a maritime transport pact which could be firmed up by year-end," she said. ASEAN is India's fourth largest trading partner and the annual trade between the two sides stood at over $76 billion in 2013. In the backdrop of growing Chinese influence in South China Sea, India and Asean (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries are discussing the evolving maritime security architecture in the region. “The idea is to evolve security architecture in the region...

There is no need for India and the United States to have concerns on navigation and over flight over the disputed South China Sea, says China. "The situation in the South China Sea was stable and that there was no problem with freedom of navigation in the area," China said. China's reaction came a day after India and USA issued a first ever "joint strategic vision" for the Asia-Pacific. The joint vision issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama did not directly refer to China, but made a clear reference to regional concerns over the South China Sea, which is contested by China and more than half a dozen Southeast Asian countries. The Chinese state-run media warning that India must not fall into the trap of the US that wants to “contain” China.

A U.N. tribunal has awarded Bangladesh nearly four-fifths of an area sprawling over 25,000 sq km (9,700 sq miles) in the Bay of Bengal, ending a dispute over a sea border with India that has ruffled ties between the neighbours for more than three decades. The verdict, binding on both countries, opens the way for Bangladesh to explore for oil and gas in the Bay of Bengal, the site of important energy reserves. "It is the victory of friendship and a win-win situation for the peoples of Bangladesh and India," Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali told a news conference on Tuesday to announce the ruling of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the sea boundary. The dispute had hampered the economic development of both countries for more than 30 years, he added.

In response to questions on the decision of the Court in the Republic of Korea to sentence two Indian mariners, an Indian government spokesperson said, on Dec. "Government of India is aware of the decision of the Court in the Republic of Korea to sentence two Indians – Captain J. “This matter was taken up by Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs today with the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea. At this meeting Government’s disappointment about the decision of the Court to reverse the earlier decision in which the two merchant marine officers were exonerated, as well as Government’s distress at the harsh prison sentences, was conveyed to the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea.