POLITICAL

EGYPT

Egypt signs agreement to join International Solar Alliance

Cairo, Sunday, 11 March 2018

Egypt’s Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker signed a framework agreement on Saturday with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in the presence of the Ambassador of India in Cairo Sanjay Bhattacharyya. Shaker said that Egypt will become a founding member of ISA because of its numerous sources of renewable energy, especially solar. Source: Egypt Independent

Visit of Foreign Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt to India (March 22-23, 2018)

New Delhi, Friday, 23 March 2018

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shoukry visited India from March 22-23. During his visit, the 7th Session of India-Egypt Joint Commission Meeting was held and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Shoukry deliberated how to deepen and diversify the bilateral cooperation. Source: Ministry of External Affairs, India

IRAN

Iran, India deepen military ties

Mumbai, Sunday, 11 March 2018

In an effort to boost military ties with India, three naval warships from Iranian Navy docked at Mumbai port from 6 to 10 March. Source: ANI

‘Prerogative of Iran’: India on invite to China, Pak for Chabahar Port partnership

New Delhi, Thursday, 15 March 2018

Days after Iran invited China and Pakistan to participate in development of the Chabahar port, India said it is the prerogative of the Iranian government to choose its partners for the project. Source: Times of India

IRAQ

4 years after they went missing, Government confirms 39 Indians killed in Iraq by IS

New Delhi, Wednesday, 21 March 2018

Close to four years after 39 Indian workers went missing in Iraq, the government announced on Tuesday that the men were dead after their bodies were recovered from a hillock near Badush, not far from Mosul, and DNA tests had confirmed their identities. Source: Times of India

JORDAN

India, Jordan ink 12 pacts, one to boost defence cooperation

New Delhi, Thursday, 1 March 2018

India and Jordan decided to step up defence cooperation to combat terror and prevent cyber security crimes as Prime Minister Modi and Jordanian King Abdullah II held talks on key strategic issues. The two sides signed 12 agreements in a wide range of areas including defence, health and medicine, setting up of the next generation Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Jordan, long term supply of rock phosphate and fertiliser and setting up of a Hindi Chair at the Jordan University. Source: Times of India

OMAN

‘Invest in India’ seminar to woo Omani businesses

Muscat, Saturday, 24 March 2018

The annual Invest in India event at the Indian embassy in Muscat on Wednesday was attended by nearly 250 Omani businesspersons and representatives of Omani financial institutions, including banks and funds, in attendance. Source: Times of Oman  

QATAR

High-level participation from India at DIMDEX

Doha, Sunday, 11 March 2018

India has deputed a high-level delegation to participate at the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2018), which ends on March 12. The visit of the high-level delegation and INS Kolkata will further strengthen the historic friendship and defence cooperation between the two countries. Source: The Peninsula

Qatar-India Business and Investment Conference to enhance bilateral ties

Doha, Monday, 12 March 2018

Qatari Amiri Naval Forces (QANF) conducted joint drills separately with the Italian and Indian naval forces in Qatar’s territorial waters. The two joint exercises followed the fifth Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2018) which took place during 12-14 March.  Source: Kuwait News Agency

Qatar carries out joint naval drills with Italy, India

Doha, Sunday, 18 March 2018

Qatar-India bilateral relationship is set to reach greater heights with Doha hosting Qatar India Business and Investment Conference (QIBIC) next month, the first of its kind to be held in the country. Ministers, senior officials and leading entrepreneurs will be among the dignitaries who will be attending the two-day event that will be held on April 16-17.  Source: Gulf Times

Cabinet clears India-Qatar double taxation avoidance treaty

New Delhi, Wednesday, 21 March 2018

The Cabinet approved revision of double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) with Qatar. The existing agreement was signed on 7 April 1999, and came into force on 15 January 2000. Source: Economic Times

SAUDI ARABIA

India condemns missile attacks on Saudi Arabia

New Delhi, Wednesday, 28 March 2018

India strongly condemned renewed missile attacks from Yemen which targeted civilian areas in Riyadh and other cities of Saudi Arabia and reiterated its resolve to fight terrorism and violence in all its forms. Source: Times of India

Saudi Arabia will no longer confiscate passports of Indian airline crew members on arrival

New Delhi, Saturday, 31 March 2018

The government of Saudi Arabia has decided to stop retaining the passports of crew members of Indian airlines on arrival. They would be given a barcode with limited validity. India took up the matter with Saudi Arabia after officials confiscated original passports and the crew with only photocopies. Source: Scroll

ECONOMIC

IRAN

Cabinet clears tax pact between India-Iran

New Delhi, Wednesday, 14 March 2018

The Union Cabinet cleared a double taxation avoidance agreement between India and Iran which will promote investment flow and curb tax evasion. Source: The Economic Times

MOROCCO

Moroccan-Indian IT Skills Development Centre Opens in Casablanca

Rabat, Saturday, 3 March 2018

A Moroccan-Indian Centre of Excellence in Information has opened its doors in Casablanca to serve as a collaborative learning space for people wishing to develop IT-related skills. The Centre is part of a cooperation agreement signed between Morocco’s Ministry of Trade and Industry and India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Source: Morocco World News  

SAUDI ARABIA

Air India makes history by flying to Israel via Saudi airspace 

Tel Aviv, Friday, 23 March 2018

The direct maiden flight of Air India to Tel Aviv from New Delhi arrived here on Thursday. The ability to fly the route over Saudi Arabia is expected to cut the flight time by nearly two hours, and marks a significant achievement in Israel’s campaign to upgrade its ties with the Gulf. Source: Times of India

MISCELLANEOUS

EGYPT

‘India by the Nile’ festival to start in Egypt from March 6

Cairo, Friday, 2 March 2018

The mega annual cultural festival India by the Nile, organised to celebrate Indian culture and its diversity, will begin next week with the main focus on classical culture this year. The 12-day event, the biggest foreign festival in Egypt, will host a wide range of events and starts on March 6. It provides audiences an Indian cultural experience and encourages artistic collaborations between India and Egypt will be held in Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said. Source: Financial Express

LEBANON

‘Bring back India’s Nassak diamond from Lebanon’

Nashik, Sunday, 25 March 2018

A trustee of the Trimbakeshwar Devasthan Trust near Nashik here has approached the National Archives of India (NAI), seeking to bring back the blue Nassak diamond, which once reportedly graced the crown of Lord Shiva idol at the famous Trimbakeshwar temple. Lalita Shinde, trustee, said the diamond, which was allegedly looted by several rulers, is presently kept at a private museum in Lebanon. Source: The Hindu

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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