UN Secretary General hails India’s Contributions

Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary General visited India on 30th October and delivered the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Lecture in New Delhi. He highlighted the long-standing relationship between India and the United Nations in areas ranging from peace and security to achieving global anti-poverty goals to sustainable development. Mr. Ban had his first overseas posting in Delhi as a young Korean diplomat 36 years ago.

Speaking at the function of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, the UN chief described India as “indispensable partner” for peace and security. India was the third largest contributor to peacekeeping, with more than 8,700 personnel at work for peace in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sudan, Lebanon and Timor-Leste. India is also an indispensable partner in UN efforts to achieve the global targets to halve poverty and other ills by 2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and promote sustainable development, the Secretary-General said. He lauded India’s efforts to address climate change, stating that the country has a well-established tradition of innovation and industrial capacity that has benefited North and South alike. “Your respected voice in the developing world in particular can influence others to follow suit,” he stated.

Ban met with leading Indian business leaders and impressed upon them the important role being played by the private sector in tackling climate change, which he called the “defining challenge of our era,” as well as in devising solutions, including the search for clean energy sources.

“The scientific evidence of climate change is overwhelming. It is abundantly clear that a model of economic growth fuelled by carbon-based energy is no longer viable over the long-term. The search for clean energy is an absolute necessity,” he said.

Ban noted that many businesses are already showing commendable foresight and leadership in the search for alternative and renewable sources of energy. Many of them have also joined the UN’s ‘Caring for Climate’ initiative, which focuses on business solutions to global warming and action on climate change.

Ecuador Foreign Minister Visits India

Maria Isabel Salvador Crespo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador paid an official visit to India on 16 November 2008. Bilateral visits and exchanges have been on between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries since 2006 on an annual basis. The visit provided a useful opportunity for continuing dialogue on various issues of mutual interest and strengthens bilateral cooperation. The Foreign Minister of India, Pranab Mukherjee and the visiting minister expressed satisfaction at the healthy growth of bilateral trade in the recent past. However, they noted that the opportunities are plentiful and there was need to be more ambitious in the further development of bilateral trade.

They agreed that bilateral economic cooperation and mutual investment needed to be pursued further. It was agreed that the two sides negotiate an Agreement on Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion followed by an Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation. The Indian side appreciated the decision of the Ecuador government to open a Commercial Section in their Embassy in New Delhi. India also expressed appreciation at the decision of the Ecuador government to allow visa-free entry into Ecuador for Indian and other foreign nationals for a stay upto 90 days for business and tourism purposes. Both sides expressed satisfaction at the formal implementation of visa exemption arrangements for holders of diplomatic and official passports of both countries as notified through exchange of documents at the Foreign Office Consultations held in New Delhi in July 2008.

German Vice Chancellor in India

Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice-Chancellor of Germany paid an official visit to India from 19-21 November 2008. This was the first visit of Dr. Steinmeier to India and was accompanied by a high-ranking economic and cultural delegation. Steinmeier who is also the foreign minister held bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and later met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani.

Both India and Germany have traditionally enjoyed warm and friendly relations. A Joint Statement on the further development of the Strategic and Global Partnership was issued that provided a strategic roadmap not only for future cooperation but also for strategic partnership in the promotion of shared and cherished values in the global arena.

India and Germany have made substantial progress in deepening cooperation in science and technology, trade and investment. Bilateral trade volume doubled to Euro 12 billion in the last three years. India was the guest of honour country in many of the prestigious events like Hanover Trade Fair 2006, Frankfurt Book Fair 2006, International Tourism Borse 2007 and Berlin Air Show 2008.

India-Myanmar Consultations

The 9th Foreign Office Consultations between India and Myanmar were held in Yangon from 22-23 November 2008. Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Myanmar U Kyaw Thu led the respective delegations. They expressed satisfaction at the close and friendly relations between the two countries and decided to maintain the momentum in bilateral relations. There were several high-level visits from both sides, including the visit of Vice Senior General Maung Aye, Vice Chairman of State Peace and Development Council in April 2008, and Prime Minister of Myanmar, General Thein Sein in November this year.

Both sides expressed willingness to enter into an arrangement for long-term purchase of pulses from Myanmar. They appreciated the strengthening of cooperation in the areas of Energy and Oil & Natural Gas. Recent signing of a MoU on the development of Tamanthi and Shwezay Hydropower Projects on the Chindwin River in Myanmar was also appreciated. Other projects in the power sector include the renovation of the Tahtaychaung Hydropower Project, construction of transmission lines, replacement of transformers damaged during cyclone Nargis, supply of biomass gasifiers and solar lamps. India announced the waiver of the ban on wheat export to Myanmar for 950 tonnes.

The discussions also covered a wide range of bilateral issues, including security and border issues, trade and economic cooperation and cooperation in cross-border developmental projects, IT, Energy, Power and Education & Training. Both countries stressed the need for greater vigilance at the border and agreed to enhance security cooperation to combat insurgent groups and arms smuggling. The decisions taken during the 3rd Joint Trade Committee held in October 2008 came up for review, where the proposals included converting Indo-Myanmar border trade into normal trade, opening of a border trade point at Avakhung in Nagaland and expanding the existing border trade items from 22 to 40.

Polish Defence Minister visits India

Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich arrived in Delhi on 4th November 2008 on a three-day visit to India to explore possibilities of tie-ups with Public Sector Undertakings for joint defence production India is scouting for partners in the realm of military hardware. He had delegation level meeting with Defence Minister AK Antony and met the chairmen of top Defence Public Sector Undertakings including HAL, BEL, BEML and Ordnance Factories Board (OFB). During the JWG Meeting held between October15-17, the two sides agreed to consolidate cooperation in defence industry and specialized training of their Armed Forces. The India-Poland JWG on Defence Cooperation was set up with the signing of an agreement on defence cooperation in February 2003. New Delhi and Warsaw signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation in February 2003 during the visit of the Polish Prime Minister, Leszek Miller, to India. Contracts worth US$600 million are currently in play. These include modernisation of tanks and acquisition of air defence missiles. At home, Poland has replaced the 800 horsepower engines of the T-72 tanks with 1000 hp machine. The tanks have also been fitted with modern fire control systems and night vision equipment.

Minister President of Baden-Wuerttemberg visits India

Günther H.Oettinger, Minister President of Baden-Wuerttemberg, visited India from 7th to 12th December 2008 along with a high-powered political and business delegation. On the occasion of the visit of the delegation to Bangalore, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce organized a BW-I-FORUM entitled Baden-Wuerttemberg – The German Southwest: Your Gateway to Indo-German Synergies on 10th December 2008 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).

Baden-Wuerttemberg is one of the most innovative and economically powerful regions in Europe, presently generating a GDP of Euro 353 billion. With its 127 patent registrations per 100,000 inhabitants (28.5% of all registered patents) and R&D spending of 4.2 percent of the GDP, the state ranks first in Europe, hosting one fourth of the research capacity by German institutes as well as by industry. Worldwide market leaders and brands such as Daimler, Porsche, Bosch, SAP, Zeiss and Trumpf, all of which have their headquarters in this state with major subsidiaries in India too, fuel the outstanding high technological level of Baden-Wuerttemberg. They, together with a host of highly innovative SMEs, value the attractive location of Baden-Wuerttemberg as an excellent venue for market opportunities and Indo-German partnerships and synergies.

Canadian Minister Ms Diane Finley visits India

Diane Finley, Canada’s immigration minister, visited India on 12 November 2008, to review overseas operations and for promoting Canada’s immigration programme. She announced the expansion of overseas orientation services designed to help migrants get their foreign credentials assessed before making their move to Canada. “India is a major source of immigrants to Canada, with highly qualified individuals,” Finley said. “Canada wants skilled and talented professionals from India and around the world and is committed to helping them integrate quickly into the Canadian labour market. To this end, we have established the Foreign Credentials Referral Office and just announced the expansion of orientation sessions abroad to help potential immigrants get their credentials assessed and recognised in Canada as quickly as possible,” she added.

Originally, orientation services were available in only three cities in India, China, and the Philippines. The expansion will add new offices in the Indian states of Gujarat and Punjab, as well as Beijing and Shanghai in China. These offices will work on a temporary ‘rotational basis’. A new centrally located office will also be located in New Delhi, India, to address the increased demand in the region. Finley also held a roundtable discussion with representatives of local educational institutions while in Mumbai. She mentioned various initiatives designed to attract migrants to Canada, including plans to introduce a ‘Canadian Experience Class’.