POLITICAL ISSUES
EGYPT
1. Visit of External Affairs Minister to the Arab Republic of Egypt
New Delhi, Monday, 24 August 2015
India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj visited Egypt and discussed bilateral relations especially issues related to security, counter-terrorism, defence and investments with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and her counterpart Sameh Hassan Shoukry in Cairo.  
Source: The New Indian Express, Chennai;See also: The Hindu, Chennai

ISRAEL
2. INS Trikand Enters Haifa, Israel
New Delhi, Wednesday, 19 August 2015
A frontline warship of the Indian Navy INS Trikand made a port call at the port of Haifa in Israel. The visit is seen as a step in bolstering ties between two countries.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi; See also: The Economic Times, New Delhi

IRAN
3. Iran foreign minister Javad Zarif meets PM Modi today
New Delhi, Friday, 14 August 2015
Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed opportunities to enhance relations between the two countries after the end of economic sanctions.
Source: The Indian Express, Mumbai

SAUDI ARABIA
4. Indian Air Force makes first staging visit to Saudi Arabia
Jeddah, Monday, 3 August 2015
A flying contingent of the Indian Air Force (IAF) made a maiden visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Source: AL Arabia News, Dubai

UAE
5. Narendra Modi on two-day UAE visit from Sunday
Abu Dhabi, Saturday, 15 August 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Abu Dhabi for a two-day trip during which he would seek to enhance cooperation in energy and trade and reach out to investors.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai; See also: The Indian Express, Mumbai; The Indian Express, Mumbai

6. Joint Statement between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of India
New Delhi, Monday, 17 August 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UAE from 16-17 August 2015 at the invitation of His Highness Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed AI Nahyan. The visit after 34 years marks the beginning of a new and comprehensive strategic partnership and during the visit, both the countries issued a joint statement.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

7. Path of terror will never benefit anyone: Modi
New Delhi, Monday, 17 August 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Indian diaspora at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

8. PM Modi returns home after successful visit to UAE
New Delhi, Tuesday, 18 August 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home after a successful two-day visit to the UAE.
Source:  The Hindustan Times, New Delhi

ECONOMIC ISSUES
QATAR
9. Qatar’s Emir Receives Letter, Postal Stamps from PM Narendra Modi
Dubai, Monday, 24 August 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a letter along with a set of postal stamps and coins to the Emir of Qatar, appreciating the Gulf nation's support for the first International Yoga day.
Source: NDTV, New Delhi

10. Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group to expand business cooperation with Qatar
Dubai, Monday, 31 August 2015
Anil Ambani, Chairperson of the Reliance Group visited Qatar and expressed a keen interest in playing a larger role in the growing economic ties by expanding business cooperation with Qatar.
Source: The Financial Express, New Delhi

TURKEY
11. Turkey keen on bilateral trade with Telangana
Hyderabad, Sunday, 22 August 2015
Turkish Consul General Murat Omeroglu urged that there is great scope for bilateral trade between Turkey and India, especially in the city of Hyderabad.
Source: The Times of India, New Delhi

UAE
12. PM visits Emirates- Modi invites UAE: Invest US$1 trillion in infra, energy sectors
Abu Dhabi, Tuesday, 18 August 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attempted to woo investors in UAE and stressed the immediate possibility of a US$ 1trillion-investment in sectors such as infrastructure and energy.
Source:  The Indian Express, Mumbai

CULTURAL ISSUES
SAUDI ARABIA
13. Saudi Arabia’s Indian diaspora lauded on Independence Day
Riyadh, Saturday, 15 August 2015
On the occasion of India’s 69th Independence Day, Indian Consul General in Saudi Arabia B.S. Mubarak praised the expatriates for their hard work, dedication, discipline and law abiding nature which have earned the goodwill of Saudi Arabia.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi

UAE
14. PM makes a statement with mosque visit
Abu Dhabi, Monday, 17 August 2015
The high point of Prime Minister Modi’s trip to UAE was his visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the world’s third largest mosque.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai

COMPILED BY SUNIL KUMAR

Sunil Kumar is a doctoral candidate in School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.  Email

As part of its editorial policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spelling and date formats to make the text uniformly accessible and stylistically consistent. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views/positions of the MEI@ND. Editor, MEI@ND: P R Kumaraswamy