Responding to the European Parliament’s discussion of developments in Manipur, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “such interference in India’s internal affairs is unacceptable and reflects a colonial mindset.” He added, “the European Parliament would be well advised to utilise its time more productively on internal issues.”
In his remarks at the opening session of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post Ministerial Conference with India in Jakarta, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said that a strong and unified ASEAN plays an important role in the emerging dynamic of the Indo-Pacific. Jaishankar said that ASEAN is a crucial pillar of India’s vision for the wider Indo-Pacific. The EAM added that India looks forward to a vibrant and dynamic ASEAN-India partnership well suited for the current global economic and strategic landscape.
US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Thursday, authorising the Pentagon to call up an additional 3,000 reserve troops to bolster operations in Europe amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The additional troops will join the 100,000 US troops already stationed in Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve.
Following Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership, Canada re-opened talks with the Middle-Eastern country on Thursday regarding lifting export limitations on drone parts, particularly optical equipment. Canada had suspended the shipment of some drone technology to Turkey in 2020 after deciding that Azerbaijani troops had utilised the equipment fighting Armenia in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
On Thursday, Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced that he is actively examining new accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s Darfur region. This includes the recent tragic incident involving the reported killing of 87 individuals from the Masalit community, wherein the alleged perpetrators are believed to be the paramilitary Rapid Security Forces and their associated militia groups.
Expressing his concern over the global “crushing debt crisis,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasised that the upcoming G20 Summit, which will be hosted under India’s Presidency, presents a valuable opportunity to address this issue and initiate reforms within the global financial system. “It is a systemic failure. Markets may seem not (to) be suffering – yet. But people are. Some of the poorest countries in the world are being forced into a choice between servicing their debt or serving their people,” the Sec Gen asserted.
India’s trade with China slumped in the first half of 2023 following over two years of record growth. Official Chinese data showed that Indian imports from China fell 0.9% to $56.53 billion in the first half of this year compared to $57.51 billion during the same period last year. Whereas, exports to China declined by 0.6% to $9.49 billion from $9.57 billion.