G-20's India Coordinator, Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that the developing countries that have felt adverse impacts of the pandemic and the consequence of the Ukraine conflict look to India's presidency for the solution.

New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI): Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Bangladesh High Commissioner Muhammad Imran on Monday attended the award-giving ceremony for felicitating winners of a competition conducted on the occasion of India-Bangladesh Friendship Day and shared views on strengthening the bilateral partnership.

New Delhi [India], April 22 (ANI): Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said that the UK does not tolerate "extremist groups" and informed that an anti-extremist task force has been set up by India and the UK to address the issue.

New Delhi [India], April 12 (ANI): As part of efforts to promote better connectivity between India and its neighbouring countries, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday convened the first meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Group (IMCG).

New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): The Centre on Monday appointed senior Indian Foreign Service officer Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the new foreign secretary.

New Delhi Mar 30 PTI India and the UK are committed to delivering a comprehensive and balanced free trade agreement FTA by the end of this year along with an interim deal for early gains Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on WednesdayAddressing the First India-UK Strategic Futures Forum Shringla said the Roadmap 2030 launched by both countries details comprehensive plans for the relationship over the next 10 years and also serves as a useful instrument to actively monitor and pursue agreed prioritiesThe potential for a transformative change is most evident in our economic relationship India and the UK are the 5th and 6th largest economies in the world that enjoy huge complementarities and offer tremendous opportunities for growth on both sides Shringla saidA major step in this direction was taken last year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson launched the India-UK Enhanced Trade Partnership that aims to more than double bilateral trade by 2030Bilateral trade negotiations that began early this year have been put on a fast track Two rounds have already taken place with the last round in mid-March witnessing good progress Both sides are committed to delivering a comprehensive and balanced FTA by the end of this year along with an interim deal for early gains Shringla saidWe are also building a strong financial partnership with closer cooperation in fintech market regulation and sustainable and green finance he saidNoting that defence and security is another key element of the India-UK renewed partnership Shringla said the focus is on research and innovation and joint industrial cooperation to develop advanced defence capabilities and strengthen collaboration in tackling new threats in the cyber space counter-terrorism and maritime domainsWe are keen to overcome legacy issues and engage in a robust dialogue to promote greater alignment on defence and strategic issues including in the context of the Indo-Pacific he saidIndia welcomes the UKs Indo-Pacific strategy and its desire to deepen engagement in the region as reflected in the deployment of the Carrier Strike Group to the Indo-Pacific last year he saidThis interest of the UK has the potential to contribute to regional stability and support shared prosperity he addedOur interests are also aligned in securing trusted and resilient supply chains for strategic technologies like 5G Shringla saidHe noted that as the world faced a pandemic of unprecedented proportions India and the UK joined hands in bringing in game-changing solutionsA notable success was the collaboration between Oxford Astra Zeneca and the Serum Institute of India he saidWe are partners in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Initiative CEPI that has an ambitious 100-day plan to develop vaccines to deal with future pandemics and strengthen global preparedness Shringla saidIn todays highly charged international security situation India and the UK have worked closely in the UN Security Council to address global challenges that threaten international peace and security he saidWe also work together on other areas of interest in the multilateral arena including sustainable development protecting the environment blue economy and maritime security health etc he saidThis mutual cooperation defines our modern partnership and has allowed India and the UK to take leadership in tackling global challenges in areas like climate change clean energy and global health Shringla said PTI ASK ASK DIV DIV

Mohali (Punjab) [India], March 28 (ANI/PR Newswire): India's role in shaping the global narrative and global ideas has become increasingly crucial in past few years, and the country getting the presidency of UN Security Council, and influential world groups like G20 and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation later this year is an indication of the role India will assume in the future, said Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary of India, while speaking at the Annual Convocation of Chandigarh University held at its Gharuan campus.

New Delhi Mar 21 PTI India and Australia on Monday firmed up a series of new initiatives in the areas of critical minerals clean energy mobility of students and tax benefits for investments in sovereign funds at a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison The Australian side unveiled a total investment of around Rs 1500 crore in certain key sectors as the two sides vowed to further energise their ties including in the Indo-Pacific region The two strategic partners decided to set up a young defence officer exchange programme to boost military cooperation and announced the setting up of a task force to examine whether the two sides could recognise the same educational qualifications The exchange programme has been named after Indias first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat who was killed in a helicopter crash in December Underlining the importance of unlocking untapped potential in bilateral trade and investment Modi and Morrison agreed that the two sides should attempt to conclude the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement CECA at the earliest The two sides also announced establishing a mechanism of annual summits between the two countries that is aimed at creating a structural system for regular review of the relationship At a media briefing Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said a memorandum of understanding MoU signed by Indias Khanij Bidesh India Ltd KABIL and Australias Critical Minerals Facilitation Office will facilitate establishing a framework for joint investments in Australian projects to mine critical minerals This is an important area for both our countries and this agreement will give us the opportunities to both invest in Australias critical minerals sector and get Australian expertise in this area he said India has been looking at boosting cooperation with Australia in areas of critical minerals with that country having a significant source of lithium cobalt and vanadium considered crucial for the manufacturing of critical electronic components The two sides also firmed up a letter of intent to work towards a migration and mobility partnership agreement A separate letter of arrangement was inked for examining the educational qualifications recognition Another MoU was signed for cooperation and collaboration on broadcasting between Prasar Bharati and the Special Broadcasting Service SBS of Australia In his opening remarks Modi said remarkable progress has been made on CECA in a very short time I am confident that the remaining issues will also be agreed upon soon The early completion of CECA will be crucial for our economic relations economic revival and economic security he said There is also good cooperation between us in Quad Our cooperation reflects our commitment to a free open and inclusive Indo-Pacific Quads success is very important for regional and global stability Modi said Morrison said an interim CECA will help to unlock new opportunities and benefits for the countries It will bring us closer to a full agreement as soon as I hope we can achieve that Australian High Commissioner Barry OFarrell on Sunday said the interim or the early harvest trade pact will be inked by end of this month Modi said that overall ties witnessed significant progress in the last few years Trade and investment defence and security education and innovation science and technology -- we have very close cooperation in all these areas Our collaboration has grown rapidly in many other areas such as critical minerals water management renewable energy and Covid-19 research he said A statement by the Australian government said the two countries will establish a task force to develop qualifications recognition arrangements for Australia and India to enhance two-way mobility The task force announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will address the recognition of online and blended learning joint degrees and offshore campuses it said Australias acting minister for education Stuart Robert said the task force would consult with stakeholders to identify opportunities for the recognition of Australian and Indian higher education qualifications and to make recommendations to improve arrangements based on best principles and practices in recognition Shringla said the two sides also agreed to increase cooperation between Indias National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and Australias Future Fund which is a sovereign wealth fund We are willing to match the tax benefits Australia gives to its sovereign and pension funds once they invest in India he said In his remarks Modi also welcomed the announcement of the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy in Bengaluru It is imperative that we have better cooperation between us in cyber and critical and emerging technologies It is the responsibility of countries with similar values like us to adopt appropriate global standards in these emerging technologies he said PTI MPB SMN SMN

New Delhi Mar 21 PTI Australia will continue to be part of the Malabar naval exercise Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Monday in a clear indication that all the Quad member nations will participate in it Australia was part of the mega naval exercise in 2020 and 2021 As you know Australia has been inducted into the Malabar framework They have participated in Malabar exercises in 2020 and 2021 And they will continue to be part of the Malabar lets say group of countries that participate in these exercises he said I think we will certainly look forward to the participation of all concerned Shringla added The foreign secretary was addressing a media briefing following a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean Japan became a permanent member of the exercise in 2015 Australias participation in the exercise in the last two editions make it a drill involving all the four Quad countries -- India the US Australia and Japan PTI MPB SMN SMN

New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on Monday held a constructive virtual summit where they reviewed the bilateral ties and shared their respective visions to advance this partnership, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Monday.