[NATIONAL]

Polish Foreign Minister arrives in India for Raisina Dialogue

ANI – Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau arrived in New Delhi on Mon for his 2-day India visit during which he would take part in bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar while also attending the Raisina Dialogue, for the 1^st time in the last 9yrs. He will also be calling on PM Modi. Poland’s Foreign Ministry announced in an earlier statement said this visit comes during the chairmanship of Poland’s Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with the main purpose to take part in the Dialogue (25-26). Rau and a representative of the Indian government will also launch an online economic webinar. It will feature a session of B2B talks to promote Polish-Indian cooperation on environmental technologies. Furthermore, the chief of Polish diplomacy will deliver an address at the Indian Diplomatic Academy on Poland’s current foreign policy priorities. (here)

The Raisina Dialogue is India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Raisina Dialogue 2022 will have around 100 sessions with over 210 speakers from 90 countries, and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen is the chief guest of the event. The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs. This effort is supported by several institutions, organizations, and individuals, who are committed to the mission of the conference. (here) The dialogue will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In terms of the participation of FMs, the MEA informed that the FMs of Argentina, Armenia, Guyana, Nigeria, Norway, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, and Slovenia will be attending the event. The Australian FM may also join the conference virtually. MEA said that the FMs, during their visit, will also have official engagements with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. (here)

EU Chief lauds India for being ‘powerhouse’ in technology

Welcoming Prime Minister Modi’s decision to launch the EU-India Trade and Technology Council, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Mon praised India for being a ‘powerhouse’ in technology and termed its relationship with the country as one of the most important for the coming decade, during bilateral talks in New Delhi, where they reviewed progress in the India-EU strategic partnership and agreed to deepen cooperation in areas of trade, climate, digital technology, and people-to-people ties. Notably, the EU chief and PM Modi agreed to launch the EU-India Trade and Technology Council at their meeting. The EU has only one TTC so far – with the US and the 2^nd with India. She also hinted at starting negotiations toward comprehensive trade and investment agreements. The European Commission, in a press statement, said that this strategic coordination mechanism will allow both partners to tackle challenges at the nexus of trade, trusted technology, and security, and thus deepen cooperation in these fields between the EU and India. (here)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit three European countries in the first week of May

PM Modi is expected to be on a visit to 3 European countries, including Germany, Denmark, and France in the first week of May, which will see 2 key bilateral engagements in Germany and France. But a substantial portion will be in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen where PM will take part in the 2^nd India Nordic summit. Leaders of all five Nordic countries, or Northern European countries.  (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland) will participate in the summit that will focus on clean technology, climate change, renewables, etc. In the last two years, PM Modi has had virtual summits with 3 Nordic countries, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, which is highest in any specific region of the world. A similar format meeting has taken with the US as well in May 2016 when the then US President Obama held a meeting with the Nordic countries.  His visit to Berlin will be for the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) during which he will hold first-ever in-person talks with new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. PM’s visit to France comes immediately after the result of the Presidential elections. France has emerged as a key partner of India in several sectors, from Defense to education to counter-terror. The visit to Europe comes as the bloc is facing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (here) Leyen met External Affairs Minister on Mon and discussed ways to take the India-EU partnership forward and exchanged views on the impact of the Ukraine conflict.

Jaishankar-Argentine foreign minister talks focus on defense, atomic energy

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sun held “productive” talks with his visiting Argentine counterpart Santiago Cafiero, focusing on bilateral cooperation in areas like defense and atomic energy. Cafiero is on a visit to India primarily to participate in the three-day Raisina Dialogue. Separately, the EAM also held talks with Teddy Locsin Jr, the Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Philippines. “Appreciated his insights and perspectives on Indo-Pacific, Europe, Myanmar, Ukraine, and Multilateralism,” Jaishankar tweeted. “Reviewed the progress in bilateral ties since our last meeting in Feb,” he added.

Army, IAF induct advanced Israeli ‘tank killers’ amid LAC standoff

The Army and IAF have begun to induct advanced Israeli anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) with longer ranges and greater armor-penetration capabilities, amid the two-year-long military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh. The Israeli `tank killers’ were ordered under emergency procurements last year due to the troop stand-off with China, which is yet to show any signs of de-escalation. Ukrainian troops armed with US-origin Javelin ATGMs and western next-generation light anti-tank light missiles (NLAWs) have destroyed hundreds of Russian tanks and other armored vehicles since the conflict began. The Army is inducting the Spike LR-2 launchers and missiles, which have a ground strike range of 5.5-km, while the IAF is integrating its Russian-origin Mi-17 V5 armed helicopters with Spike NLOS (non-line of sight) missiles that can destroy ground targets around 30-km away. (here) At $76.6 billion, India is the 3^rd-highest military spender as per data published by SIPRI, the top 5 spenders—the US, China, India, the UK, and Russia—accounted for 62% of the global expenditure.

LeT deputy commander and 4 militants killed in encounter in J-K’s

3 militants, including a Dy Cmdr, identified as Arif Hazar alias Rehan of Pakistan-based, banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sun, police said. The identities of the other two slain militants are being ascertained. Based on specific inputs, security forces launched a search operation. The 2 Pakistani terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, who were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Kulgam district of J&K on Sat, have been identified and were active since 2018, police said on Sun. (here)

US Congressman expresses concern over human rights situation in Kashmir

An American Congressman Andy Levin, a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Subcommittee on Asia- Pacific has expressed concern over the human rights situation in Kashmir and emphasized that the US govt must make clear that it expects better of democracies like India, during a virtual Congressional briefing organized by the Indian American Muslim Council and 16 other groups on Wed. India has repeatedly rejected criticism by lawmakers and human rights groups on allegations that civil liberties have eroded in the country.

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Japan closely watching China’s moves in the Pacific, says PM Kishida

ANI – Japan is keeping a close eye on China’s behavior concerning Pacific island nations, said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sat, days after China and Solomon Islands signed a security pact that US and allies fear could be used to establish a military base in the Pacific island nation. The PM raised these concerns after meeting with his Tuvalu counterpart. “We are closely following what China does in the Pacific island region with interest,” – The Japan Times. On Apr 22, a high-level US delegation visited Honiara, Solomon, and met for 90 min with PM Manasseh Sogavare, along with his cabinet. Outlining areas of concern, the US delegation said, “If steps are taken to establish a de facto permanent military presence, … the delegation noted that the US would then have significant concerns and respond accordingly.” (here)

Taiwan’s Foxconn suspends the operation of two factories in China due to COVID-19

Sputnik -Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn, Apple’s main supplier of electronic components, has suspended operations of two factories in the eastern city of Kunshan due to COVID-19 restrictions, SCMP reported on Mon. In Apr, Taiwanese company Pegatron, which assembles iPhone smartphones for Apple, suspended the operation of 2 factories in the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Kunshan. The shutdown will put Apple’s supply chains in China in a complicated situation, the SCMP noted, adding that several other Apple suppliers in the country also halted production due to COVID-19 restrictions. The COVID spike in China began in early Mar, and since then the case rate has grown rapidly, with over 20K cases registered daily over the last 3 days. Over the last two years, the country registered an average of 30-40 cases/day. (here)

IMF team to visit Pakistan in May to discuss subsidies

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it will be sending a mission to Pakistan in May after a team of the international lender held discussions with Pak Fin Min Miftah Ismail in Washington. IMF Chief for Pak, Nathan Porter said both sides had “very productive meetings over” Pak’s economic developments and policies under the Extended Fund Facility. Porter said that Pakistan had agreed to roll back subsidies to the oil and power sectors ahead of the resumption next month of a review of the agency’s support for the country. (here). IMF said Pakistani authorities have also requested the IMF to extend the EFF arrangement through Jun 2023 as a signal of their commitment to address existing challenges and achieve the program objectives. Ismail departed for the US on Apr 21 to seek the revival of the USD 6 bn IMF program signed by the previous govt. Under the deal, Pakistan was to receive about USD 6 billion during 39 months, however, it has received almost half of it. (here)

Pakistan military still controls Kashmir policy

ANI-Pakistan used Madrasas to revive terrorism in India, which increased up to 40k at present and none among the country’s authorities are intended for this to end as this is seen as a help in sustaining the military’s strategic depth in Kashmir and Afghanistan. A recent statement by PM also signaled that the military runs the country’s Kashmir policy and change in the govt will not improve its relationship with India, Baltimore Post-Examiner reported. This statement is also seen as a mantra, which could help him to create a good impression in front of the military generals for smooth sailing. However, India on other hand said that they wanted a normal relationship with Pakistan. Our consistent position is that bilateral issues should be addressed peacefully in an environment free from terror, hostility, and violence. (here)

Putin, new Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif quietly exchange letters: Report

The Express Tribune- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif quietly exchanged letters, away from the media glare, to avoid public attention. The letters, in which both expressed a desire to strengthen cooperation, were exchanged after the election of Shehbaz as PM after the ouster of Imran Khan. However, both sides kept development away from the media glare in what seemed to be a move aimed at avoiding any public attention, reported. Earlier, Putin sent his felicitations to the newly-appointed Pakistan PM through the Russian embassy’s tweet. Sharif would avoid such an approach and work quietly to advance Pakistan’s foreign policy interests. [It’s a normal protocol, so where is the news, which may lie in not annoying the US] (here)

‘Sanctions mean chaos’: China’s foreign minister echoes Xi Jinping’s ‘transcendent’ global security initiative call

China has stepped up calls to remove unilateral sanctions and renewed its push for a global security initiative that it says will transcend Western security theories. In an article in Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Sun, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrote that sanctions were causing more chaos. Wang assessed as part of an expansion of a global security initiative advocated by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Boao Forum for Asia on Thu, saying the initiative “transcended Western geopolitical security theory”.

The military race for low Earth orbit satellites – and why China is behind

In Ukraine, Russian forces have bombarded telecommunications towers and damaged cables but Ukraine’s military bases have stayed online. Some parts of the country have remained connected through a network of more than 10k small satellite dishes plugged into the Starlink system, a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO – up to 2,000 km, which means a lower time lag in the data transfer) satellites owned and operated by SpaceX, a private US aerospace company. Starlink has become such an essential service that Ukraine’s aerial reconnaissance unit has reportedly used it to control surveillance drones and lead artillery units to Russian vehicles. However, China is late to the game in what is shaping up to be an essential technology. Although Beijing has designated LEO satellite internet as a “new infrastructure”, the focus has been economic rather than defense. China to start building a 5G satellite network to take on Starlink. Because their LEO satellites do not require internet service providers to spy on the connection to speed it up and thereby sacrifice data security. For militaries that all added up to better situational awareness and better tactical decision making. (here)

Sri Lankan President says he’s willing to form an interim govt to resolve the economic crisis

Daily Mirror – Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Mon said that he is willing to take immediate steps to form an interim government to curb and resolve the ongoing economic crisis in the country. He conveyed this message to the Mahanayake of the three Chapters who are high-ranking Buddhist monks overseeing and regulating the Buddhist clergy in Theravada Buddhist countries. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka has slipped into a dire economic crisis due to debt troubles, liquidity problems, and minimum foreign reserves leading to long power outages, and scarcity of fuel impacting manufacturing industries and the middle class. A series of protests can also be witnessed in the country as the citizens demand the resignation of Rajapaksa for his inability to control the situation. The President has also agreed to present a new Constitution if the Parliament approves of it, Daily Mirror reported citing Ven. Medagama Dhammananda Thera, the Chief Registrar of the Asgiri Chapter. (here) Sri Lanka stock market on Mon halted trading again after the index of liquid stocks plummeted, with the All Share Price Index falling 9.6% and the Standard & Poor’s Sri Lanka 20 (S&P SL20) plunging 12.64%, according to a media report.