3 SEPTEMBER 2016

Ø  Calling for joint efforts to counter the “sizeable challenge” of extremism and terrorism, Egypt and India will build a “robust defence and security cooperation”. Announcing an enhancement in bilateral ties, visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi said he had instructed his government to work on multiple fronts to energise Cairo’s ties with Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an agreement on maritime transport. “We will work together to counter extremism and terrorism through a robust military and security cooperation and will work on evacuation of people from areas hit by natural disasters or conflicts,” Mr. Sisi said at a joint press conference with Mr. Modi at the end of his visit. Mr. Sisi, who was accompanied by a large business and government delegation, said India and Egypt would upgrade economic and trade ties, increase mutual visits, intensify counter-terror cooperation and work on renewable energy. The highlight of the visit was an agreement on maritime transport, which was described by Mr. Modi as an “important enabler” for increased trade and commerce. Calling for “greater operational exchanges” to combat terrorism and money laundering, he said, “We agreed to further our defence and security engagement aimed at expanding defence trade, training and capacity building, greater information and operational exchanges to combat terrorism and cooperation on emerging challenges of cyber security.” Egypt has come forward with the idea to hold a cultural event, “Egypt by the Ganga”, in response to the Indian initiative, “India by the Nile”, which has evolved into a major cultural event in Egypt, where India has one of the oldest centres of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

Ø  India and Vietnam must have stronger economic and people-to-people ties, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he left for Hanoi, part of his East Asian outreach, which will take him to Vietnam, China and Laos over the next week. India-Vietnam partnership will benefit Asia and the rest of the world. We wish to forge a strong economic relationship with Vietnam that can mutually benefit our citizens. Strengthening the people-to-people ties will also be my endeavour during the Vietnam visit. The bilateral trade between our two countries is around $ 8 billion; it has grown 400 per cent in the last six to seven years. The two leaderships have set a target of $ 15 billion by the year 2020,” Indian Ambassador to Vietnam P. Harish told. In addition, India’s plans to provide the BrahMos Missile as well as boost Vietnam’s maritime capabilities in the South China Sea would be of most interest.

Ø  In a bid to improve ties before the visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to India, Nepal has decided to re-send Nepali Congress leader Deep Kumar Upadhyay as its envoy in Delhi. Mr. Upadhyay was recalled in May amid high drama after his government accused him of supporting an Indian plot.

Ø  The first batch of 1,000 chilli-filled grenades has been despatched to the Kashmir Valley to be used as an alternative to pellet guns as a crowd control measure, a senior official of the Union Home Ministry said. A committee of experts had recommended the use of Pelargonic Acid Vanillylamide (PAVA) shells as an alternative to pellet guns. The Border Security Force had been asked to make the shells at its facility at Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh.