India and World

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

    • President of Maldives, Abdulla Yameen paid a state visit to India in January 2014.
    • 12th India-ASEAN meeting held on 9 August 2014; 21st ASEAN Regional Forum meeting held on 10 August 2014 and the 4th EAS Foreign Ministers meeting held on 10 August 2014.
    • On 11th November, 2014, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Mayanmar for the 12th India-ASEAN Summit. He also visited Fiji.
    • Regional Parwasi Bharti Diwas was held in Sydney and a prominent member of the diaspora from Malaysia was invited as Chief Guest for PBD-2014, for the first time.
    • Narendra Modi visited Japan on 30 August- 3 September 2014.
    • The Ministry announced a ‘Connect Central Asia’ Policy in June 2012.
    • The first session of India-Georgia Intergovernmental Commission was held in New Delhi (29 April 2014).
    • Gulf region continued to be India’s largest trading partner with bilateral trade turnover of US$181.4 billion in 2012-13.
    • Among India’s top five oil sourcing countries, four were from the gulf region.
    • Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and UAE being the first, second, fourth and fifth largest crude oil exporters to India.
    • Bilateral trade between India and Africa crossed US$70 billion in the year 2013-14.
    • The Indira Gandhi prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2012 was conferred upon President Sirleaf (Liberia) during the visit.
    • Europalia, India Festival 2013-14 was inaugurated by President Shri Pranab Mukherjee along with King Philippe of Belgium during his state visit to Belgium in October, 2013.
    • India-Canada Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy has come into force in September 2013.
    • The fifth India-US Strategic Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 31 July, 2014.
    • In 2013, India maintained its position as the third largest troop contributor to UN peace keeping with 7,923 military and police personnel deployed with nine UN peacekeeping missions around the world and one UN assistance mission in Afghanistan.
    • India participated in the Geneva II International conference on Syria in Montreux (Switzerland) on 22 January, 2014.
    • Former Narcotics Commissioner of India was elected to International Narcotics Control Board for the term 2015-2020. India’s representative was re-elected to the Committee of Economics, Social and Cultural Rights for the term 2015-2017.
    • India was also successfully elected to the Executive Board of UNDP for the term 2015-2018 and the Commission on Science and Technology for Development for the term 2015-2018.
    • India’s candidate, Rasik Ravindra, former Director, National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) was elected to the Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf during the 24th Meeting of the Stated Parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea held on 12 June 2014. He will serve in the commission till 2017.