Vice President Hamid Ansari’s five-day tour of Nigeria and Mali
Vice President Hamid Ansari had a five-day tour of Nigeria and Mali in order to further strengthen Indias bilateral engagements with these two West African nations.
• Nigeria Visit – 26-29, 2016 :
• It is estimated that the Indian investments have exceeded USD 10 billion so far, and another USD 5 billion are committed. Indian investments are in diverse sectors such as communications, power, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, automotive sector and oil, among others.
• Mali Visit – 29-30 September 2016 :
• After Nigeria, Mr. Ansari then went to Mali, the first high-level visit by any Indian leader. Two MoUs were also signed between India and Mali, one on standards and the other on cultural
exchange.
Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong visit to India – An Overview
• During the visit, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong was hosted for lunch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two leaders hold bilateral talks to explore ways to bolster ties
between the two countries.
• Besides that, two more MOUs will be exchanged on cooperation on
• Establishment of a North East Skills Centre in Assam between the Assam Government and the Institute of Technical Education Education Services, and
• Cooperation in skills development between the National Skill Development Corporation and
Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education Education Services.
• India and Singapore signed three agreements, including two in the area of skill development, following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore PM Lee
Hsien Loong.
• One memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Education Services (ITEES) and India’s National Skill Development
Corporation on collaboration in technical and vocational education and training.
• Another MoU was signed between the Assam government and ITEES Singapore also on collaboration in technical and vocational education and training.
• A third MoU was signed in the field of industrial property cooperation
Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe 3 Day visit to India
• Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would arrive in New Delhi for a three-day visit to India. During his stay, he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discuss issues of mutual interest. The visiting dignitary would also call on President Pranab Mukherjee.
• Both the sides had decided to conclude an enhanced bilateral economic partnership by the end of this year to allow the free flow of services, investments and technology, in addition to the existing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two nations.
FM Arun Jaitley embarks on 7-day official visit to Canada,US
• Finance Minister Arun Jaitley embark a 7-day official(October 3 to October 10) visit to Canada and the US to attend the annual meetings of World Bank and IMF and hold talks with global investors.
• He is accompanied by Dr. Urijit Patel, Governor RBI, Mr. Shaktikanta Das, Secretary Economic Affairs, Dr. Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor and other officials.
• In Canada, he met top official and review progress made in the proposed Comprehensive Economic partnership agreement (CEPA) and Foreign Investment and Protection Agreement (FIPA).
USA – four-day official visit
• Arun Jaitley along with Shri Shaktikanta Das, Secretary (EA) participated in the 2016 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings Plenary on October 7, 2016 at the historic DAR Constitution Hall,
Washington DC. He has said that 80% of the 240 million new accounts opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana are now functional with cash balances.
• Jaitley, who is on an official visit to the US, chaired the Commonwealth Finance Minister’s meeting at the IMF headquarters.
• BRICS’ contingent reserve arrangement (CRA) is now operational in India to deal with anyshortterm balance of payments pressures the grouping’s member nations face. CRA was established
in 2015 by BRICS member nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa .
Aung San Suu Kyi to embark on three day-visit to India
Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese statesperson, politician, diplomat and author who serves as the First and incumbent State Counsellor and Leader of the National League for Democracy.
• She is also the first woman to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs ofMyanmar, the Minister of the President’s Office, the Minister of Electric Power and Energy, and the Minister of
Education in President Htin Kyaw’s Cabinet, and from 2012 to 2016 was a Pyithu Hluttaw MP for Kawhmu Township.
• India and Myanmar have agreed for close security coordination in border areas keeping in view the sensitivity of each other’s strategic interests.
• The two countries also agreed to enhance engagement in several areas including agriculture, power, and renewable energy and the two sides will also work to develop a mutually beneficial
arrangement for trade in pulses.
• As a part of efforts to improve ties between India and Myanmar, the two countries signed 3 MoUs in the presence of Narendra Modi and Aung San Suu Kyi.
• India and Myanmar signed three MoUs for cooperation in insurance, power and banking sectors
Vice President Hamid Ansari five-day visit to Hungary, Algeria
Vice President Hamid Ansari was on a five-day visit to Hungary and Algeria, where he raised the matter of cross-border terrorism and a host of other bilateral issues. Hungary is a parliamentary constitutional republic in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, Slovenia to the west, Austria to the northwest, and Ukraine to the northeast.
• Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and the Schengen Area.
• The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe.
• The country’s capital and largest city is Budapest and Currency is Hungarian forint
• India and Hungary also signed two MoUs, including one on water management, during the three-day trip to the central European country.
New Zealand PM John Key visit to India – An Overview
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006.
• India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is among the gamut of issues that are expected to figure during the meeting.
• India and New Zealand have signed three agreements in the areas of double taxation avoidance, food security and sports.
• A MoU was signed between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India andSport New Zealand on cooperation in the field of youth affairs and sports.
Rajanath Singh 3 days visit to Bahrain
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that India and Bahrain, both the countries, are
vulnerable to the sufferings of terrorism during his bilateral meeting with Interior Minister of Bahrain Lt.
General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa in capital Manama. Singh stated that the terrorism should be
dealt in a comprehensive manner. Segmented and partial approaches as adopted by some of the countries
have been failed in countering terrorism.