India and the World

India voices concerns over surge of terrorism in Arab world

- by Manish Chand

Making a compelling case for building an enduring bridge between India and the Arab world, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has voiced deep concerns over “the rise of religious fanaticism, radical extremism and terrorism” in various parts of the region.

“Being a longstanding partner of the Arab world, we in India are also deeply concerned with the rise of fanaticism, extremism and terrorism in parts of the region,” Sushma Swaraj told journalists at the first India-Arab Media Symposium in New Delhi August 21.

“We are concerned for the stability of these countries where terrorism and fanaticism are tearing apart the fabric of societies and also concerned over the spill-over effects on regional stability,” said Swaraj, while underlining that “the fates of our two regions are intertwined in many ways.”

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Vietnam is India’s all weather-friend: Vietnam envoy

- by India Writes Network

India’s multifaceted ties with Vietnam are poised to acquire greater strategic and economic weight. The visit of India’s External Affairs Minister to Vietnam August 25-26 is set to impart a fresh momentum to this burgeoning partnership, bound by a confluence of strategic, economic and energy interests. Sushma Swaraj’s trip will set the stage for the state visit by India’s President Pranab Mukherjee to Vietnam in September.

In this exclusive interview with Manish Chand, Editor-in-Chief, India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org), Vietnam’s ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh Tan speaks about Vietnam’s expectations from the forthcoming visit by India’s foreign minister, the growing knowledge partnership between India and Vietnam and predicts an all-round acceleration in bilateral ties in days to come.

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India asks Pakistan to stop meddling, calls off foreign secretaries’ talks

- by India Writes Network

In a strong signal to Pakistan to refrain from meddling in its internal affairs, India has unilaterally called off talks between the foreign secretaries of the two countries, which was scheduled in Islamabad on August, over Pakistani envoy’s “unacceptable” invitation to meet separatist leaders of Kashmir.

The unilateral cancellation of the scheduled talks, which aimed at exploring ways to revive the dialogue process, bodes ill for bilateral ties, which started off on a positive note with the visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to New Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May. The talks between Mr Modi and Mr Sharif in Delhi had kindled hopes for improved relations under the new dispensation in New Delhi with both leaders asking their foreign secretaries to meet and explore ways to take the engagement process forward.

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India and SCO: Greater Engagement in Extended Neighbourhood

- by India Writes Network

While the Modi government’s focus on SAARC and Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) countries is important, it should also include Central Asia within its matrix of co-development. Geo-strategically, Central Asia constitutes a part of India’s extended neighbourhood and it is, therefore, necessary to safeguard our legitimate national interests in the region. Central Asia is strategically located and without a doubt, its strategic importance in international affairs has been steadily growing. For India, Central Asia is important because of old cultural and civilizational linkages, the region’s strategic location, energy resources and trade opportunities. Central Asia’s energy reserves will be vital to the global economy over the coming decades.

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Taking on hackers: India plans cyber security centre

- by India Writes Network

Stepping up efforts to tackle the surge of cyber attacks on the government and other sensitive establishments, India’s government is expected to set up a cyber security centre to provide real-time assessment of cyber security threats and an integrated national plan to tackle them. The National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) will facilitate a more robust cyber security arrangement that provides defence for key national Indian computer networks. The NCCC will work with agencies like the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) to develop a holistic defence system that addresses cyber threats pro-actively. Setting up the NCCC is projected to cost over $ 190 billion. It will be a multi-agency body under Department of Electronics and IT.

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