After taking oath as Bihar CM 8th time, Nitish Kumar issues 2024 challenge to PM Modi

Ottawa, Sept 19: Canada is not trying to provoke India by suggesting its agents were linked to the murder of a Khalistani terrorist but Ottawa wants New Delhi to address the issue properly, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday.

"The government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that, we are not looking to provoke or escalate," he told reporters. Earlier in the day, India dismissed the Canadian government's accusations as absurd.

India today expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a reciprocal move over Trudeau's charge that it played a role in the June killing of a Khalistani terrorist. The diplomat, who is unnamed, has five days to leave the country.

The Canadian Prime Minister yesterday said his government had "credible allegations" linking Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing with the "agents of the Government of India". The Indian government rejected the allegation as "absurd and motivated".

The spat deals a fresh blow to diplomatic ties, with New Delhi unhappy over Sikh separatist activity in Canada. It now threatens trade ties too, with talks on a proposed trade deal frozen last week.

New Delhi, Sept 8: The UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has arrived in New Delhi, India on Friday, September 8, 2023. He arrived in the country ahead of the G20 summit set to take place in the capital.

Leaders from all over the globe have been arriving into the country for the 18th summit with its theme being 'One Earth, One Family, One Future'.

The UAE's participation in this year's summit as a guest country comes at the invitation of India, which is the presidency of the G20. This reaffirms the UAE's commitment to making a positive contribution to the work of the G20, with a focus on the priorities set by the Indian presidency for the summit.

As the host of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in 2023, the UAE will focus on its pivotal role in enhancing global climate action, in line with the common goals and aspirations of the G20 and COP28.

Through its pioneering agenda in the clean energy sector and Net Zero by 2050 climate neutrality initiative, the UAE has doubled its efforts through the Sherpa meetings of the G20 Finance Tracks.

The UAE's participation in the G20 pre-summit meetings this year was notable for its presentation of case studies on the most successful and latest practices in the country related to development, public policies, systems, and legislation. These practices were published by the G20 in various fields and reports, reflecting the UAE's development across a range of sectors.

The G20 countries are the UAE's largest trading partners, accounting for 43 per cent of its non-oil exports and 39 per cent of its re-exports. They also account for 67 per cent of the UAE's commodity imports.

New Delhi, Sept 11: Trade, economy, defence, and cultural cooperation were the main topics of discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud during the latter's State visit today.

During the high-profile meeting today at Delhi's Hyderabad House, the two leaders co-chaired the first leaders' meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, a bilateral agreement between India and Saudi Arabia signed by the two nations in Riyadh in 2019.

"For India, Saudi Arabia counts as one of its closest and biggest strategic partners," PM Modi said. "India-Saudi Arabia partnership crucial for stability, welfare of region and world."

"We are adding a new dimension to our ties in tune with changing times. We have identified several initiatives to take our close partnership to the next level," he added.

The leaders assessed the progress of the two ministerial committees of the Strategic Partnership Council, namely the Political, Security, Social and Cultural Cooperation Committee and the Economy and Investments Cooperation Committee. They also discussed all aspects of bilateral relations, including political, security, defence, trade, economy, culture, and people-to-people ties. Additionally, they discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Prince Salman's 2nd State Visit

The Saudi Arabian Crown Prince was accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 10 am, ahead of his meeting with PM Modi at 11 am.

"I am very glad to be here in India. I want to congratulate India for the G20 Summit," the Crown Prince said. 

After concluding his engagements with PM Modi and other dignitaries, Prince Salman will meet President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 6:30 PM before departing from New Delhi at 8:30 PM.

This is Prince Salman's second State visit to India.

During the two-day G20 Summit in New Delhi, Saudi Arabia was one of the signatories to the ambitious India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.

The initiative, seen by many as a potential alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative, was jointly announced by PM Modi and the leaders of the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

"Yesterday, we took a decision to start a historic economic corridor between India, West Asia and Europe. This corridor will not only connect two countries but also help in providing economic growth, and digital connectivity between Asia, West Asia and Europe," PM Modi said. 

Once completed, the project can serve as a modern-day Silk Road that functioned as the central trade route facilitating economic partnerships, political alliances, and cultural integration across continents. 

Prime Minister Modi also cited Saudi Arabia's 'Vision 2030' initiative, an all-encompassing nationwide reform programme launched in 2016 for the economic, cultural and architectural development of the Middle Eastern country.

"Under your leadership and Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has seen tremendous economic growth and I congratulate you for that," PM Modi said. 

India-Saudi Arabia Ties

India and Saudi Arabia have a long history of cordial and cooperative relations, with extensive people-to-people ties. According to government data, bilateral trade between the two countries reached an all-time high of USD 52.75 billion in fiscal year 2022-23.

PM Modi during his 2019 visit to Riyadh had said that India and Saudi Arabia have a Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation (JCDC) that meets regularly and that the two countries have identified a number of areas of mutual interest and cooperation in the field of defence and security.

The two economic powerhouses are also major trading partners. India is Saudi Arabia's second-largest trading partner, while Saudi Arabia is India's fourth-largest. The two countries have a strong partnership in the energy sector, with India importing a significant amount of oil from Saudi Arabia.