India’s Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Shri Subrahmanyam Jaishankarand Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufau inaugurated the first convention centre in Africa namely “Mahatma Gandhi convention centre” (MGICC) established at the state of Niger in Western Africa by India to honour the memory of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.This is the 1st centre established in Africa by India under grant assistance. S.Jaishankar was the first Indian-foreign Minister to visit the West-African country during his national trip visit to Niger (West Africa) and Tunisia (North Africa). Key Points: The Convention centre has been designed with modern and eco-friendly facility including a 2000 capacity of Plenary hall (wide participation from African Union Member states). It is likely to host the forthcoming African Union AU Summit in the new convention center which will further contribute towards enhancing of bilateral ties.
India Opens 1st Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in Niger
India’s Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Shri Subrahmanyam Jaishankarand Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufau inaugurated the first convention centre in Africa namely “Mahatma Gandhi convention centre” (MGICC) established at the state of Niger in Western Africa by India to honour the memory of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.This is the 1st centre established in Africa by India under grant assistance. S.Jaishankar was the first Indian-foreign Minister to visit the West-African country during his national trip visit to Niger (West Africa) and Tunisia (North Africa). Key Points: The Convention centre has been designed with modern and eco-friendly facility including a 2000 capacity of Plenary hall (wide participation from African Union Member states). It is likely to host the forthcoming African Union AU Summit in the new convention center which will further contribute towards enhancing of bilateral ties.
Ministry of External Affairs creates “NEST” to increase investment coordination
The Ministry of External Affairs is to set up a new division called NEST-New and Emerging Strategic Technologies. The division will work to increase investment coordination among the states of the country and also with the foreign countries. Highlights The NEST will act as a nodal point to exchange views with foreign governments. This will help in confronting emerging challenges and scenarios in new technologies. With India coping with issues of security implications in 5G and artificial intelligence, NEST division will help India spread emerging technologies among the states. It will also aid in coordination among domestic ministries and departments. The division will also hold responsibility for matters that involves negotiations with multilateral fora like United Nations, G20. This will help to safeguard India’s interests as such forums govern the rules of access to such technologies.
5th Round of India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue was held in Tokyo
The 5th round of India-Japan Maritime Affairs dialogue was held in Tokyo, Japan. During this dialogue, India and Japan agreed to deepen their maritime cooperation. Apart from the dialogue, the 8th Round of India-Japan bilateral consultations on disarmament, non-proliferation and export control was also held in Tokyo. Key Points: Indian delegation: The Indian delegation was led by Indra Mani Pandey, Additional Secretary in Disarmament and International Security Affairs under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Japanese delegation: The delegation from the Japanese side for the 5th round dialogue was led by Ambassador Yamanaka A. Osamu, deputy assistant minister, deputy Director-General(DG) in foreign policy bureau. The Japanese delegation for the 8th Round of India-Japan bilateral consultations was headed by Ambassador Hisajima Naoto, Director-General(DG), disarmament, non-proliferation and science department, ministry of foreign affairs.
MEA hosts 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue, Delhi Dialogue XI
Union Ministry of External Affairs will be hosting 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) and Delhi Dialogue XI at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendrain New Delhi. This is for the first time that these two dialogues, which are key elements of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and India-ASEAN calendars will be held consecutively and on similar Indo-Pacific themes. Theme for 2019 Indian Ocean Dialogue is- ‘Indo-Pacific: Re-imagining the Indian Ocean through an Expanded Geography’. The 6th IOD which takes place on 13 December is being organized with assistance of the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA). Theme for 2019 Delhi Dialogue is- ‘Advancing Partnership in Indo-Pacific’. It is being organized with assistance of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a New Delhi–based autonomous policy research institute. The event will be held from 13-14 December. Key Highlights of 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue The IOD is Indian Ocean Rim Association’s (IORA’s) premier 1.5 track forum for dialogue between academia and officials on strategic issues of interest and concerns facing the Association. The member states will hold high-level discussions on IORA role within Indo-Pacific. The summit was preceded by 25th Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG) (took place on 12 December).
