India and Bangladesh commenced the 11th edition of their annual joint military exercise SAMPRITI on 3 October in Meghalaya’s Umroi. The exercise will be held for 14 days and include around 350 personnel from both sides. It is organised by both countries alternatingly and signifies strong bilateral defence cooperation initiatives. The first edition of SAMPRITI was held in 2009 in Assam’s Jorhat, and the current edition of the exercise aims to enhance defence cooperation between the two countries further.
Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi led a delegation to China to participate in the Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation upon official invitation from Beijing. Muttaqi will participate in the forum, wherein participants will hold discussions on economic, regional and climate issues from 4-5 October.
On Tuesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that Canada wants private talks with India to address a diplomatic disagreement over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, following reports that India had requested Canada to withdraw 41 diplomats. Joly stated, “We are in contact with the government of India. We take Canadian diplomats’ safety very seriously and we will continue to engage privately because we think diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private.”
The Armenian Parliament voted on Tuesday to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), putting the country’s ties with its former ally Russia under more strain after the court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin for his involvement with war crimes in Ukraine. Last month, Moscow denounced Armenia’s attempt to join the ICC as an “unfriendly step,” and the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Armenia’s envoy.
A highly classified defence report from the UK hinted at a devastating mishap involving Chinese submarine 093-417 in the Yellow Sea. According to reports, 55 Chinese sailors, including the captain and 21 officers, may have died due to a “catastrophic failure” in the vessel’s oxygen system. China has not confirmed the news yet.
The Joe Biden Administration on Tuesday announced a series of indictments and sanctions against eight Chinese companies and 12 executives blamed for producing and importing fentanyl. The sanctions will prevent the targeted companies from entering the US financial system and prohibit anyone in the US from doing business with them. So far, none of those charged have been arrested.