Editor's Note
The year-end issue of Diplomatist is undoubtedly comprehensive not only in terms of content but also from the number of pages. The EU-India summit in Marseilles forms our cover story and captures the gravity of the summit supported by a brilliant analysis written by a former foreign secretary of India. The in-depth focus on Czech Republic, the candidate-in-waiting for the next EU Presidency is very much in sync with our cover story.   Read the Note.  
 

A Win-Win Affair 
“President Sarkozy announced his country’s intention to forge civil nuclear cooperation with India, which was sealed in an agreement he signed with the Indian PM in Paris. The prospects of cooperation between France and India in the civil nuclear field are ‘very promising’ considering his country’s expertise, long tradition of cooperation with India and an atmosphere of trust.   Read the Article.  
 

India's Great Balancing Act 
India sends the message that it will not forego traditional friends while forging new partnerships
EU is India’s biggest trading and investment partner. Within Europe, three or four of the world’s largest economies are located. With each of them India’s trade and investment relationship is on the ascendant. While Germany and UK figure in public consciousness as major economic partners of India, what is less known is that 550 French companies are now operating in India, employing 100,000 people. France aims to double this number in the period ahead, and the expectation is of French companies investing up to US$10 billion in the next five years.   Read the Article. 
   

One More Milestone in South-South Cooperation
IBSA SUMMIT in New Delhi  
IBSA Forum, created in 2003 to renew South-South cooperation, is oriented towards coordinating action to narrow global imbalances and accelerate trade and trilateral relations. Read the Article.  
 

Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Sites Worth Seeing Before Departing India 
We’ve known about them for a ‘donkey’s age,’ but hadn’t taken the initiative to visit the Ajanta and Ellora Caves until just recently. How were they? In a word: Splendid! Read the Story.
  

Maoist PM Talks Business
Prachanda reaffirms Nepal’s unassailable relations with India
“The government of Nepal remains committed to adopt every possible measure to provide investors the necessary security including repatriation of capital and profit earned by them.” – Prachanda  Read the Article.      
     

Climate Change can Aggravate Food Crisis
Ms. Mihoko Tamamura, Country Director, World Food Programme (WFP) in India shares her thoughts on the relevance of World Food Day at a time when scarcity of food materials and their steeply rising prices are becoming grave issues. In an interview with Diplomatist Editor, G. Kalyan Kumar, she looks at the strategic solutions that WFP is working on to address these challenges.  Read an Interview.  
 

The Leela, Kovalam...
...Another Reason To Visit Kerala  
Sandy beaches bordered by swaying coconut palms, pleasant hill stations, peaceful backwaters, heritage sites, cultural festivals including the world-famous elephant pageant and snake boat races, ayurveda therapies: now one can add another item – The Leela, Kovalam – to the list of valid reasons to visit Kerala. Read the Article.
 

Commonwealth is Most Egalitarian: Kamalesh Sharma
“The youth of today is the most resourceful asset available to us. As we move towards development, we should engage youth and global financial bodies like the World Bank should come up with schemes to encourage youth entrepreneurship. Along side we should follow a proactive approach towards respectful globalization. We also look forth for greater monetary assistance from the investors from India, who would set stage for balanced world governance.” – Kamalesh Sharma   Read the Article.
   

Commonwealth Games 2010: Palpable Excitement Despite Infrastructure Woes
The Commonwealth Games 2010, in New Delhi, to be held from October 3 to 14 in year 2010, is going to be a historical event for the country. Though India had been host to Asian Games in 1951 and 1982, the event in 2010 is something that the country is looking forward to. Despite the euphoria in the air and millions of dollars coming in for investment, there seems to be lethargy in the run up to the games. This article looks at the pace of preparedness and the ground to be covered. Read the Article.
   

BILATERAL NOTES
Indo-Swiss JEC Identifies More Investment Avenues
UK-India Business Council Opens Delhi Office
India-Egypt Cooperation on Heritage Sites
French Agro-Food SMEs to Visit India
ICRISAT Centre in Nigeria
India Festival in the Netherlands
Canada to Open Trade Office in Ahmedabad
India, Malaysia Working on Trade Pact
India-ASEAN Plan Joint Buddhist Pilgrimage Tourism
India-Russia Defence Cooperation to Go Up
   Read the Notes.
   

Diplomatic News
Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas Visits India
Catherine Ashton is New EU Trade Commissioner
Laos President's Visit Gives a Boost to Indian Investments
Pro-Democracy Activist Nasheed Wins Maldives Presidential Poll
Asia-Europe (ASEM) Summit in Beijing 
   Read the News.  
 

Tale of Two Nuclear Deals
The Indo-US nuclear deal finally took wings after George W. Bush, the U.S. President signed the legislation on 8, October. It is now officially called the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act.  Read the Article.  
 

INDO-ASEAN FTA: India Sees Long Term Gains
“The countries of East Asia are important drivers of growth with large consumption to drive global economies.” – Kamal Nath    Read the Article.  
 

India and Israel to Cooperate in Preserving Cultural Heritage 
“Jews were not a historical people rather they are a geological race and had grown along with their land. Similarly, Indians also grew out of the progress of civilisations and over the centuries instead of history.” – Yehuda Amichai  Read the Article.