Author: India Writes Network

India, Egypt deepen security ties, to focus on IS threat

- by India Writes Network

Amid seething turmoil in the region and the rise of emerging threats, India and Egypt have decided to deepen and diversify their security and counter-terror cooperation.

With the rise of terror groups like ISIS who are spread across the most volatile region in the world, India suggested that the ISIS should be fought in a “determined and collective manner”.

In Cairo, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Egypt’s President Fattah Al-Sisi and her Egyptian counterpart Sameh Hassan Shourky. This is Swaraj’s first visit to Egypt, signaling the Indian government’s focus on revitalizing multifarious relations with Cairo as well as the North Africa region.

President Sisi conveyed his resolve to deepen ties with India and underlined that it was time to encash on the goodwill that the people of the two countries have with each other into something concrete on the ground. “He (President Sisi) said Egypt and India should be working together visibly on issues of common interests to show to the world that we are together on certain issues.” Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, said in Cairo.

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India, Pakistan cancel NSA talks amid slanging match: It’s K word again

- by India Writes Network

It’s a depressingly predictable piece of theatre, and once again it’s the K word that has wrecked the planned talks between national security advisers of the perennially prickly neighbours, India and Pakistan. The much- touted talks between the NSAs of the two estranged neighbours were cancelled after an intense slanging match following Islamabad inviting the Kashmiri separatist leaders to meet Sartaz Aziz in New Delhi. The Modi government drew the red line when it cancelled the foreign secretary-level talks a year ago on grounds of the Pakistani envoy inviting separatist leaders for a meeting. This time round, New Delhi has reinforced the red line with an added conviction.

India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had issued an ultimatum to Pakistan to respond by the midnight of August 23 on continuing talks without Pakistan’s NSA meeting the separatists. By the late hours of August 22, Pakistan responded saying it cannot attend the meet as India was imposing pre- conditions and called off the meeting.

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