IndianRepublic.in

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with ambassadors from all 27 European Union countries ahead of the high-level state visit by European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later this month.  The visit will coincide with India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations and the 16th India-EU Summit, where both sides are expected to finalise a historic free trade agreement and deepen cooperation on security and strategic matters. Image Source: EAM Jaishankar In a post following his meeting with EU envoys, Jaishankar described the conversation as an opportunity to take stock of a rapidly evolving global environment.  “Spoke to them about the current state of the world with volatility and instability as the new normal,” he wrote on X.  “Made a case for stronger India-EU relations that will: derisk the world economy by cooperating on resilient supply chains; reassure the international community by providing public goods...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday welcomed UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to New Delhi with a gesture of personal diplomacy that underscored the strength of India-UAE ties. Marking the visiting leader’s third official trip to India since assuming office, the two-hour visit was characterised by high symbolism, strategic continuity, and growing cultural affinity. Image Source: PM NaMo Modi personally received the UAE President at the airport, a rare protocol reserved for a handful of India’s closest international partners.  Referring to Sheikh Mohamed as “my brother” on social media, the Prime Minister said the visit reflected the importance the UAE attaches to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with India.  Images of the two leaders travelling together from the airport, exchanging greetings and sharing a private conversation, further underlined the close personal rapport between them. Following their arrival, Modi hosted Sheikh Mohamed and his...

India formally launched its BRICS 2026 Chairship in New Delhi on January 13, with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar unveiling the official logo, theme, and website.  Framed around the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” India’s tenure marks the 20th anniversary of the BRICS grouping and comes at a moment of expanding membership and heightened geopolitical complexity. EAM Jaishankar launched preparations for BRICS India 2026 The logo, which incorporates the national colors of all BRICS members and centers around the traditional "Namaste" gesture, was described as a symbol of unity, inclusivity and collaborative intent.  According to the External Affairs Minister, the design reflects India’s approach to blend tradition with modernity, while projecting BRICS as a forum of diverse but convergent interests. Unveiled alongside the logo, the BRICS 2026 website — brics2026.gov.in — will function as a central platform for information...

India and Germany significantly upgraded their strategic partnership this week with a wide-ranging bilateral engagement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, resulting in 27 outcomes across defence, energy, technology, education and migration.  This marked Merz’s first official visit to India and Asia since taking office, and came as both nations confront an unstable global order that has prompted a recalibration of partnerships rooted in democratic resilience and technological sovereignty. Sabarmati Ashram stands as a powerful reminder of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals. Via: PM NaMo Chancellor Merz’s choice to begin his Asia diplomacy with India was framed by both governments as a signal of trust and alignment, with Modi describing the visit as “a strong testament” to the relationship.  The two leaders met in Ahmedabad on January 12, where they jointly participated in symbolic events such as a visit to Sabarmati Ashram and the International Kite ...

India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar’s ongoing visit to France and Luxembourg from January 4–9, 2026, comes at a time of significant global upheaval. US military action in Venezuela has intensified global debate over sovereignty, legality, and great power behavior.  Jaishankar’s engagements across Europe are positioned to firmly underline India’s commitment to a multipolar world order, strategic autonomy, and a rules-based international system rooted in the UN Charter. EAM Jaishankar with Prime Minister Luc Frieden of Luxembourg. Via: MEA In Paris, Jaishankar participated in the first-ever India–Weimar Triangle format—bringing together France, Germany, Poland, and India—marking a notable shift in European geopolitical outreach beyond the Atlantic alliance. The French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, emphasizing the urgency for “bridges between centers of stability,” made it clear that India's inclusion was deliberate and timely: France holds the G7 presidency, ...

New Delhi has joined a growing international chorus urging restraint and diplomacy following the dramatic U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas this weekend.  In official statements issued over two consecutive days, India expressed "deep concern" over the developments and reaffirmed its support for the safety and well-being of the Venezuelan people, while advising Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to the country. Foreign Minister Jaishankar's file photo via MFA Russia The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued an official travel advisory on January 3 , urging Indians already in Venezuela to exercise extreme caution, limit movements, and remain in close contact with the Indian Embassy in Caracas. Emergency contact details, including a WhatsApp-enabled phone line, were provided for consular assistance. A follow-up press release on January 4 further underlined India’s call for al...

Even as Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s presence at the state dinner for Russian President Vladimir Putin drew national headlines, it is his continued legislative activity in Parliament that continues largely unnoticed in the public discourse. Image Source: Bangalore Lit Fest on X On a day when Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were conspicuously excluded from the guest list at the President’s residence, Tharoor stood out as the sole Congress invitee to the diplomatic event.  His decision to attend drew internal criticism from party spokesperson Pawan Khera, who stated that “those who extended such an invitation raise questions, and those who accepted are also open to scrutiny.” But behind the scenes, Tharoor has been consistently active on key policy matters in Parliament. In recent weeks, he introduced several Private Members' Bills and raised detailed parliamentary questions across sectors ranging from urban development and compe...

Amid intensifying global fragmentation and rising strategic autonomy across the Global South, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a landmark roadmap to deepen their bilateral economic engagement through 2030, aiming to take trade beyond $100 billion.  Prez Putin and PM NaMo attended the Plenary Session of the India-Russia Trade Forum The wide-ranging Programme for the Development of Strategic Areas of India–Russia Economic Cooperation till 2030 was the centrepiece of the 23rd Annual Summit held in New Delhi on December 5, with the two sides signing 29 agreements spanning energy, mobility, healthcare, customs, polar training, labour migration, media, and advanced scientific cooperation. The summit, Putin’s first visit to India since the Ukraine war began, saw both leaders publicly reaffirm the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between their countries, even as global alignments continue to shift.  “India-Russia ties have...

In a summit thick with strategic symbolism and sweeping bilateral action, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed 29 agreements and issued a joint declaration pledging to elevate their “time-tested progressive partnership” into a deeper geopolitical alignment rooted in sovereignty, stability, and multipolarity.  Indian PM NaMo with Russian Prez Putin At the center of the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit, held in New Delhi on December 5, was a key policy milestone: the formal adoption of the Program for the Development of Strategic Directions of Russian–Indian Economic Cooperation until 2030.  This is  a forward-looking document that defines new rules of engagement across trade, defence, energy, migration, and critical technologies amid shifting global power centres. The two leaders met at Hyderabad House for in-depth talks before witnessing the signing of wide-ranging intergovernmental and institutional agreements, including on labo...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a sweeping call for a reimagined development agenda at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg , setting out six major global initiatives and pressing for a “civilisational” rethink of growth models that leave people and the planet behind.  Image Source: PM NaMo Speaking at the summit’s opening session, Modi urged the world’s largest economies to act collectively to ensure inclusive, sustainable, and secure progress —anchored in equity, knowledge-sharing and resilience. In his address, Modi pitched for rethinking global development parameters, arguing that the current frameworks have left large sections of the world deprived and have led to the overexploitation of nature.  Drawing from India's philosophical ethos of Integral Humanism , he said development must harmonise individuals, societies and ecosystems, and cannot be dictated solely by economic metrics. Modi proposed six transformative initiatives. These include a Global T...

In a move to deepen India's engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean, India's Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Pabitra Margherita, concluded a seven-day diplomatic tour across Ecuador, Bolivia and Cuba from November 4 to 10.  The visit marked a new phase in South-South cooperation, with the inauguration of Indian embassies in Ecuador and Bolivia, renewed strategic commitments with Cuba, and outreach across sectors ranging from health and digital to critical minerals and culture. MoS inaugurating the new Chancery building of the Embassy of India in La Paz, Bolivia In Ecuador, MoS Margherita called on President Daniel Noboa Azin and held bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Maria Gabriela Sommerfeld Rosero, announcing the formal opening of India’s Embassy in Quito.  The visit saw the signing of an MoU between the two nations' diplomatic training institutes and discussion on strengthening cooperation in agriculture, technology, and digital transform...

India and Bhutan have restated their time-tested friendship and strategic cooperation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day state visit to the Himalayan kingdom from November 11 to 12.  The visit coincided with the 70th birth anniversary of Bhutan’s Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck and featured high-level engagements, religious observances, and key bilateral milestones. Image Via: MEA India As guest of honour at the national celebration in Thimphu, Prime Minister Modi joined Bhutan’s royal family and citizens in commemorating the legacy of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.  Speaking at the Changlimithang Stadium, Modi praised the monarch’s role in guiding Bhutan’s transformation into a democratic constitutional monarchy and his introduction of the globally noted concept of Gross National Happiness.  He thanked both the Fourth King and current King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck for their stewardship of India-Bhutan ties and conveyed warm wishes from the Indian people. PM ...

In a sharply worded address delivered in New Delhi,  India's Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar  openly challenged the credibility of the UN system, calling out its structural dysfunction, selective morality, and strategic irrelevance in the face of global crises. “All is not well with the United Nations,” Jaishankar said flatly. The statement, delivered in a room of diplomats, UN officials, and members of the press, cut through the ceremonial tone of the day and forced attention onto the UN’s internal contradictions.  File Photo Source: EAM Jaishankar At the core of his critique: a Security Council frozen in time, and a multilateral order that speaks the language of equality while practising exclusion. Jaishankar focused his most searing remarks on the UN’s inaction in the face of terrorism. “What does it do to the credibility of multilateralism,” he asked, “when a sitting Security Council member openly protects the very organisation that claims responsibility for a ba...

At a time when multiple regional flashpoints are converging -- from violent unrest in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) to Taliban diplomacy, growing Indo-Russia economic ties, and security tensions with Canada--India has issued a clear, multi-front diplomatic stance, rooted in consistency and assertive strategic positioning. Limited information has so far reached the outside world about the full extent of the protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Image Via: Paul Antonopoulos In a comprehensive weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed sharp questions from the press corps on the most pressing geopolitical developments of the week , underscoring India's principled approach across all theatres--from the subcontinent to West Asia and beyond. PoK Unrest: Natural consequence of Pakistan’s oppression On the ongoing mass protests and internet shutdowns in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Jaiswal pointedly described the si...