IRAN

Raksha Mantri holds bilateral meeting with his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, 27 April 2023

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Iran's Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics Brigadier General Mohammed Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani in New Delhi on April 27, 2023. The meeting took place in a cordial and warm atmosphere. Both the leaders emphasised on the age-old cultural, linguistic and civilizational ties between the two countries, including people-to-people connect.

Both the Ministers reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan. Further, the two Ministers discussed the development of the International North South Transport corridor to ease logistic problems to Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia. 

The Iranian Defence Minister is visiting Delhi at the invitation of the Raksha Mantri to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting, to be held on April 28, 2023. Source: Press Information Bureau.

ISRAEL

PM congratulates Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and people of Israel on their 75th Anniversary of Independence, 26 April 2023

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and people of Israel on their 75th Anniversary of Independence.

In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister tweeted;

“Heartiest congratulations to my friend @netanyahu and the people of Israel on the 75th anniversary of independence. Mazel Tov!” Source: Press Information Bureau.

SAUDI ARABIA

Largest ever contingent of Ladies Without Mehram to undertake Haj pilgrimage this year, 3 April 2023

For Haj 2023, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has taken several initiatives to make Haj pilgrimage more comfortable, convenient and affordable for the Indian pilgrims. Dedicated efforts have also been made to make the process of pilgrim selection objective, transparent, efficient, timely and without human involvement.

The applications for Haj and selection of pilgrims was done online. Out of a total of 1.84 lakh applications received, 14,935 Haj applicants have been given assured allotment (including 10,621 in 70+ age category and 4,314 Ladies Without Mehram (LWM). This is the largest ever contingent of women proceeding on Haj alone without a male member .

The  applications received over and above the Haj quota have been finalised through an Online Randomized Digital Selection (ORDS) process, without any human intervention. It is for the first time that the list of selected and waitlisted applicants has been published on the official portal immediately after the selection process, for the general public, in the interest of increased transparency. All 1.4 Lakhs selected pilgrims have been sent SMS informing them of their selection for Haj 2023. SMS has also been sent to waitlisted pilgrims informing them about their waitlisted status and position in the waitlist.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has partnered with State Bank of India(SBI) to make special arrangements to provide Forex facilities to the pilgrims. Unlike earlier years, when each pilgrim was made available 2100 Riyals by the Haj Committee of India, irrespective of his actual requirements, Haj Policy 2023 gives the option and flexibility to the pilgrims to arrange their own foreign currency or take lesser foreign exchange, as per their individual requirements. The Government has collaborated with SBI, to ensure supply of Forex to the pilgrims at the most competitive rates.

With more than 22,000 branches all over India, SBI shall facilitate providing FOREX and mandatory insurance for all the pilgrims, to meet the requirements during their stay in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The bank will reach out to the pilgrims in this connection by way of SMS.

Facility of FOREX Card is also being provided to all the pilgrims thereby eliminating the possibility of theft or loss of physical currency.  In case this card is lost during the pilgrimage, the pilgrim can get his money refunded from the bank.

SBI will also arrange stalls at all Embarkation points, with dedicated focal point/nodal officer of appropriate level, to facilitate the pilgrims for collection of FOREX in cash or through the Forex Card and also to provide any guidance and help as may be required.  A helpline shall be operated by SBI and the contact details of these nodal officers would be made public soon. Source: Press Information Bureau.

GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL

Visit of MOS Shri. V. Muraleedharan, to Saudi Arabia & Bahrain (May 01-05, 2023), 30 April 2023

MOS for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan, will be paying official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kingdom of Bahrain on 1-3 May 2023 and 4-5 May 2023, respectively. During the visit, MOS will meet his counterpart Ministers in both countries and interact with the Indian community. MOS (VM)‘s visit to Saudi Arabia comes very close to his visit from 25-28 April 2023 to Jeddah to oversee Operation Kaveri for evacuation of Indian citizens from Sudan.

2. MOS (VM) will meet Saudi Vice Foreign Minister Eng. Waleed Elkhereiji and other dignitaries in Riyadh on 1-2 May 2023. He will have an interactive session with the Indian community in Riyadh and also have separate engagements with various Indian diaspora organizations. On 3 May 2023, MOS (VM) will visit the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and meet the top leadership of the province. He will also interact with the Indian community in Dammam and Jubail and meet different business groups, including Indian companies. MOS (VM)‘s visit will further deepen India-Saudi strategic partnership.

3. MOS (VM)’s visit to Kingdom of Bahrain will be his second visit to the country. He had last visited Bahrain in August 2021. He will hold discussions with various Bahraini dignitaries and meet Indian community organisations as well as Indians working in different sectors. MOS (VM) will also inaugurate the Indo-Bahrain Dance and Music Festival being organised by Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam and Embassy of India, with support of Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM). Source: Ministry of External Affairs, India.

As part of the policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spellings and date format 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.