New Delhi:

The Afghanistan embassy in India today suspended operations citing an inability to serve the country’s interests and a shortage of staff and resources. India will take control of the embassy in a caretaker capacity, the statement by the embassy said. The announcement comes two years after the elected government in Afghanistan was overthrown by the Taliban.

While India does not recognise the Taliban government, it had allowed the Afghan embassy to continue operations under the ambassador and mission staff appointed by former president Ashraf Ghani, who fled Kabul in 2021.

Earlier this year, the embassy was rocked by a power struggle in the wake of reports of the Taliban appointing a charge d’affaires to head the mission, replacing Mamundzay. Following the episode, the embassy came out with a statement that there was no change in its leadership.

The tussle for power had erupted after Qadir Shah, who was working as a trade councillor at the embassy since 2020, wrote to the MEA in late April claiming that he was appointed as the charge d’affaires at the embassy by the Taliban.

But the embassy’s closure statement said it “categorically refutes any baseless claims regarding internal strife” among embassy staff, and denied any diplomats were “using the crisis to seek asylum in a third country”.

Here are the reasons listed by the Afghanistan embassy was closing its operations in India:

“Lack Of Support From India”

In its statement, the Afghanistan embassy alleged an absence of support from the Indian government. It claimed that this hindered their ability to carry out their duties effectively. “The Embassy has experienced a notable absence of crucial support from the host government, which has hindered our ability to carry out our duties effectively,” the statement said.

The Indian government has not yet reacted to these allegations.

Failure To Serve Afghanistan’s Interests

The embassy acknowledged that they had failed to serve the best interests of Afghanistan and its citizens.

“We acknowledge our shortcomings in meeting the expectations and requirements necessary to serve the best interests of Afghanistan and its citizens due to the lack of diplomatic support in India and the absence of a legitimate functioning government in Kabul,” it said.

Staff Shortage

The Afghan embassy said that there had been a significant reduction in personnel and resources due to unforeseen circumstances, making it challenging for them to continue operations.

“The lack of timely and sufficient support from visa renewal for diplomats to other critical areas of cooperation led to an understandable frustration among our team and impeded our ability to carry out routine duties effectively,” the statement said.

India is yet to recognise the Taliban set-up and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul, besides insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.

Earlier this week, sources in the foreign affairs ministry had said that they are keeping an eye on the crisis and also examining the authenticity of the communication about the Afghanistan embassy closing doors.

New Delhi:

The Afghanistan embassy in India today suspended operations citing an inability to serve the country’s interests and a shortage of staff and resources. India will take control of the embassy in a caretaker capacity, the statement by the embassy said. The announcement comes two years after the elected government in Afghanistan was overthrown by the Taliban.

While India does not recognise the Taliban government, it had allowed the Afghan embassy to continue operations under the ambassador and mission staff appointed by former president Ashraf Ghani, who fled Kabul in 2021.

Earlier this year, the embassy was rocked by a power struggle in the wake of reports of the Taliban appointing a charge d’affaires to head the mission, replacing Mamundzay. Following the episode, the embassy came out with a statement that there was no change in its leadership.

The tussle for power had erupted after Qadir Shah, who was working as a trade councillor at the embassy since 2020, wrote to the MEA in late April claiming that he was appointed as the charge d’affaires at the embassy by the Taliban.

But the embassy’s closure statement said it “categorically refutes any baseless claims regarding internal strife” among embassy staff, and denied any diplomats were “using the crisis to seek asylum in a third country”.

Here are the reasons listed by the Afghanistan embassy was closing its operations in India:

“Lack Of Support From India”

In its statement, the Afghanistan embassy alleged an absence of support from the Indian government. It claimed that this hindered their ability to carry out their duties effectively. “The Embassy has experienced a notable absence of crucial support from the host government, which has hindered our ability to carry out our duties effectively,” the statement said.

The Indian government has not yet reacted to these allegations.

Failure To Serve Afghanistan’s Interests

The embassy acknowledged that they had failed to serve the best interests of Afghanistan and its citizens.

“We acknowledge our shortcomings in meeting the expectations and requirements necessary to serve the best interests of Afghanistan and its citizens due to the lack of diplomatic support in India and the absence of a legitimate functioning government in Kabul,” it said.

Staff Shortage

The Afghan embassy said that there had been a significant reduction in personnel and resources due to unforeseen circumstances, making it challenging for them to continue operations.

“The lack of timely and sufficient support from visa renewal for diplomats to other critical areas of cooperation led to an understandable frustration among our team and impeded our ability to carry out routine duties effectively,” the statement said.

India is yet to recognise the Taliban set-up and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul, besides insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.

Earlier this week, sources in the foreign affairs ministry had said that they are keeping an eye on the crisis and also examining the authenticity of the communication about the Afghanistan embassy closing doors.

Thiruvananthapuram:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said the West was not the “bad guy” as it was not flooding Asian and African markets with goods on a massive scale and that there was a need to get over the “syndrome” of seeing it in a negative way.

Jaishanker, in an interview to Malayalam news channel Asianet, also made it clear that he was not batting for the West. He was in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the launch of the PM Vishwakarma scheme.

“It is not the West which is flooding Asia and Africa with goods on a massive scale. I think we need to get over the syndrome of the past that the West is the bad guy and on the other side are the developing countries. The world is more complicated, the problems are much more complicated than that,” the minister said.

Former Indian diplomat T P Sreenivasan interviewed the minister for the channel.

On being asked whether Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the G20 summit in New Delhi because it did not want India to be seen as leader of the Global South, Jaishankar said the reasons were up for speculation.

He said the issue today was the building up of a strong sense, over the last 15-20 years, over the inequities of globalisation where countries saw their products, manufacturing and employment come under stress due to their markets being flooded by cheap goods — an indirect reference to the Chinese trade and economic policies.

The minister said this underlying resentment and pain of those countries regarding the global economy was building up for the last 15-20 years and the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict resulted in prices of energy and food items going up.

So there was a sense of anger building up in countries about them being used as an extractive resource to fuel the economy of another nation and added that the West was not to be blamed for that.

He made it clear that he was not batting for the West and said that in today’s globalisation there was a concentration of manufacturing that was being leveraged and subsidised and was affecting economies of various nations.

However, India’s manufacturing, agriculture, scientific achievement like the Chandrayaan-3 mission, ability to vaccinate, etc all of that has created a sense among the Global South, which includes the African Union, “that one of us has the ability to stand, grow and progress”.

“So they identify with us in a way that they do not with other people,” Jaishankar said.

Responding to queries, he also spoke about the achievements of the G20 Summit under the Indian presidency and the threat posed by the political space given by Canada to the Khalistan group.

Jaishankar said that some of the major achievements of the G20 Summit under the Indian presidency was that India was able to get the influential group of nations back on the track of growth and development and also focus on the Global South initiative.

In addition to that, the country was also able to do diplomacy in a different way and through the summit created a greater interest in the nation about the Baltic, he said.

Jaishankar said India was a different country now with a different level of confidence and a different leadership and the manner in which G20 was conducted has only benefited the nation.

He said that the summit showed that the agenda “does not have to be decided by the West or by the P5 or by a narrow one or two countries” and that India too can shape it.

“By doing the Voice of the Global South (summit) and bringing 125 nations together, we straightaway shaped the agenda,” he said.

At the same time, he said, the Global South was not a new world order or a definition and India was not claiming to be its leader.

“My most truthful answer is that the Global South is not a definition, but a feeling. It is a feeling of solidarity, a willingness to put yourself out,” he said, adding that “those who are part of it know it and those who are not also know it”.

World leaders at the two-day G20 Summit in New Delhi recently had hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “decisive leadership” and for championing the voice of the Global South.

He also welcomed the proposed economic corridor with India at one end and Europe at the other and which passes through the Middle East making it easier for people from here to go there for job opportunities.

While speaking about people migrating abroad for jobs, he touched upon the issue of the Khalistan group’s activities in Canada and its effect on India’s relations with that country.

He said the problem arises when, for whatever reason, such countries give space in their politics for activities of such groups.

The minister said there were compulsions in politics, “but everybody, especially in a democracy, must temper that with a larger sense of responsibility to the world as well as a sense of responsibility to their own image and their own well being”.

“Forget us for the moment. You know the kind of force involved in all of this. They are not good for the country where all of this will happen. Today it is Canada, it could be something else tomorrow. We are focusing on generating that appreciation,” he said.

On how India managed to not get Russia blamed for the Ukraine conflict in the G20 declaration, Jaishankar said, “Everybody compromised.” “There was a lot of give and take,” he added.

He said what happened in the Bali Summit of G20, where Russia was blamed, could not be repeated in India and at the same time the clock could not be stopped there.

“This is New Delhi. So the New Delhi outcome had to be forged,” he said.

He also said that in the G20 India was able to focus on the Global South in terms of phrases, agenda, outcome and the African Union’s membership “for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi really stuck his neck out”.

“This is a different country, with a different level of confidence and a different leadership,” he concluded.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

Highlighting the immense scope to expand India-US bilateral ties in space, India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Friday said it is only natural that the two largest democratic countries deepen their existing space collaboration and continue working closely in exploring this final frontier.

“Both India and the US can combine their strengths to provide space-related applications and services to third countries across the globe,” Mr Sandhu wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Examiner, a conservative news outlet.

“In fact, India already provides services like forest fire detection, solar energy calculation, meteorological data, and disaster management support to countries in the region, while NASA, via its Earth Observation (EO) data and other initiatives, has been a pioneer in aiding the progress towards SDGs in several parts of the world. Together, we can achieve a lot more,” he wrote.

In his op-ed titled ‘Space is the next frontier for India-US collaboration’, the Ambassador wrote that after the success of Chandrayaan-3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s successful moon mission was not India’s alone but that of all of humanity.

This inclusive spirit is one that also drives the India-US relationship, which the leaders of the two countries have described as a “partnership for global good”, he wrote.

“From semiconductors to defence, from green energy to critical and emerging technologies, our cooperation touches every conceivable human endeavour. It is only natural that we further deepen our existing space collaboration and continue working closely in exploring this final frontier. Indeed, when India and the US come together, the sky is not the limit!” Mr Sandhu wrote.

Following the Summit between Prime Minister Modi and President Joe Biden in June 2023, ISRO and NASA have committed to exploring human spaceflight cooperation and launching a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024.

Data being sent back by Chandrayaan-3 will help aid the understanding of the Moon’s south pole, where it is envisioned the next astronauts to the Moon might land, including under the Artemis programme that India joined recently.

The commercial space sector presents another area brimming with potential, with the number of space startups in India seeing a rapid increase, from just four in the year 2020 to over 150 today, the Indian envoy wrote.

Mr Sandhu said the Indian Space Policy of 2023 has opened up avenues for industry, investment, and research collaborations between Indian and US private sector partners.

Commenting on the India-US collaboration in the field of space, the ambassador said the two countries are working together towards the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, which will help in disaster management and resource monitoring.

“NASA’s ground stations located around the world are supporting Chandrayaan-3’s tracking, deep space communication, and navigation. Space has also been identified as a key area under the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), launched in January 2023,” he wrote. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The G20 Declaration has welcomed the ‘G20 Framework for Systems of Digital Public Infrastructure’, recognising the role of DPI in the delivery of services at a societal scale, and underlined the commitment to work together to promote cooperation on international governance for Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar described the Declaration as a “tremendous achievement”.

“India’s #G20 Presidency is going to leave an indelible impression on the world order as we move forward,” Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for IT and Electronics, said in a post on X.

The G20 leaders on Saturday stressed promoting international cooperation and further discussions on international governance for AI and called for a safe, secure, trusted, accountable and inclusive digital public infrastructure (DPI) for service delivery and innovation.

Recognising the role of DPI in the delivery of services, the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration backed the ‘G20 Framework for Systems of Digital Public Infrastructure’, a voluntary and suggested framework for the development, deployment and governance of DPI.

The G20 Declaration asserted that safe, secure, trusted, accountable and inclusive DPI, respectful of human rights, personal data, privacy and intellectual property rights can foster resilience and enable service delivery and innovation.

The New Delhi Declaration is seen as a significant victory for India’s G20 presidency. Its adoption highlighted that members have successfully clinched a consensus amid increasing tensions and divergent views over the Ukraine conflict. The G20 Declaration draws attention to building safety, security, resilience, and trust in the digital economy.

“To this end…we welcome the G20 Framework for Systems of Digital Public Infrastructure, a voluntary and suggested framework for the development, deployment and governance of DPI,” it said.

The declaration talks of building safety, security, resilience and trust in the Digital Economy, fostering digital ecosystems, and harnessing AI responsibly for ‘Good and for All’.

“To unlock the full potential of AI, equitably share its benefits and mitigate risks, we will work together to promote international cooperation and further discussions on international governance for AI,” it said.

The Declaration also welcomed India’s plan to build and maintain a Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository (GDPIR), a virtual repository of DPI, voluntarily shared by G20 members and beyond.

Further, it takes note of the Indian Presidency’s proposal of the One Future Alliance (OFA), a voluntary initiative aimed at building capacity and providing technical assistance and adequate funding support for implementing DPI in LMICs (low, and middle-income countries).

“In our voluntary efforts to make digital public infrastructure interoperable, we recognise the importance of data free flow with trust and cross-border data flows while respecting applicable legal frameworks. We also reaffirm the role of Data for Development,” it said.

On technological transformation and digital public infrastructure, the declaration noted that technology can enable rapid transformations for bridging the existing digital divides and accelerating progress for inclusive and sustainable development.   “Digital public infrastructure (DPI), as an evolving concept and as a set of shared digital systems, built and leveraged by both the public and private sectors, based on secure and resilient infrastructure, and can be built on open standards and specifications, as well as opensource software can enable the delivery of services at societal-scale,” it said.

Put simply, DPI refers to blocks or platforms, such as digital identification, payment infrastructure and data exchange solutions that help countries deliver essential services to their people, empowering citizens and improving lives by enabling digital inclusion. A case in point is the India Stack — the identity system Aadhaar, payment platform UPI and others, all of which have been receiving ringing praises globally.

DPIs are interoperable, open, and inclusive systems supported by technology and provide essential, society-wide, public and private services that play a critical role in accelerating this digital transformation in an inclusive manner.

The Declaration has also emphasised building safety, security, resilience and trust in the digital economy.

An enabling, inclusive, open, fair, non-discriminatory and secure digital economy is increasingly important for all countries and stakeholders while respecting applicable legal frameworks.

“We will share our approaches and good practices to build a safe, secure and resilient digital economy. To this extent, we…welcome the non-binding G20 High-level Principles to Support Businesses in Building Safety, Security, Resilience, and Trust in the Digital Economy…welcome the G20 Toolkit on Cyber Education and Cyber Awareness of Children and Youth,” it said.

It reaffirmed commitment to G20 AI Principles (2019) and endeavour to share information on approaches to using AI to support solutions in the digital economy.

“We…Will pursue a pro-innovation regulatory/governance approach that maximizes the benefits and takes into account the risks associated with the use of AI,” it said.

It also pledged to “promote responsible AI for achieving SDGs”.

On harnessing AI responsibly for Good and for All, the Declaration said the rapid progress of AI promises prosperity and expansion of the global digital economy.

“It is our endeavour to leverage AI for the public good by solving challenges in a responsible, inclusive and human-centric manner while protecting people’s rights and safety.

“To ensure responsible AI development, deployment and use, the protection of human rights, transparency and explainability, fairness, accountability, regulation, safety, appropriate human oversight, ethics, biases, privacy, and data protection must be addressed,” it said.

The Declaration resolved to deploy all available digital tools and technologies and spare no effort in fostering safe and resilient digital ecosystems, and ensuring that every citizen on the planet is financially included.

“To support this, we commit to promote responsible, sustainable and inclusive use of digital technology by farmers and an ecosystem of Agri-Tech start-ups and MSMEs…Welcome the establishment of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) within a WHO-managed framework to build a comprehensive digital health ecosystem in compliance with respective data protection regulations,” it said.

It also committed to leveraging digital technologies for the protection and promotion of culture and cultural heritage and adopting digital frameworks for the development of cultural and creative sectors and industries. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Spouses of various world leaders attending the G20 Summit here were treated to a special lunch at Jaipur House on Saturday, following which they were given a guided tour of an exhibition of culturally-rich artefacts at the National Gallery of Modern Art, official sources said.

The group was served millet-based dishes and they also sampled some street food, a source said.

“First ladies from Turkiye, Japan, the UK, Australia and Mauritius, among others visited the exhibition at NGMA,” the source added.

The source told PTI, “After lunch at Jaipur House, spouses of some world leaders enjoyed an exhibition hosted at the NGMA that opened today. The exhibition has been showcased especially for them.” 

The ‘Roots and Routes’ exhibition explores India’s civilisational heritage, ethos and inter-connectedness.

The NGMA, under the Union Ministry of Culture, boasts a rich collection of artwork, including paintings, sculptures and photographs. S Radhakrishnan, the then-vice-president, inaugurated the gallery at Jaipur House in 1954, according to the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav website.

The special lunch and the NGMA exhibition were organised on the sidelines of the two-day G20 Summit that got underway on Saturday at the newly-built international convention and exhibition centre – Bharat Mandapam – at Pragati Maidan.

Earlier in the day, spouses of some world leaders visited the Pusa campus to learn about millet farming.

They (world leaders’ spouses) showed interest in learning more about millets, the source said.

Spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union government sponsored a proposal for the International Year of Millets – 2023. The proposal was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly.

PM Modi has also shared his vision to make the International Year of Millets – 2023 a “people’s movement” alongside positioning India as the “global hub for millets”.

Millet-based dishes were on the menus for lunches and dinners served to the delegates at G20 events held under different tracks since India assumed presidency of the bloc last December.

Luxury hotels in Delhi are also serving millet-based dishes to the heads of states who are in Delhi for the G20 Summit. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The G20 countries on Saturday committed to expediting efforts to phase down unabated coal power in line with national circumstances and upholding their 2009 promise made in Pittsburgh to eliminate and rationalise inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.

According to the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, the grouping of major economies acknowledged the importance of hastening the development, deployment, and dissemination of technologies to transition to low-emission energy systems, particularly by rapidly expanding the deployment of clean power generation.

“We will increase our efforts to implement the commitment made in 2009 in Pittsburgh to phase-out and rationalise, over the medium term, inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption and commit to achieve this objective, while providing targeted support for the poorest and the most vulnerable,” the G20 Declaration read.

Another point in the declaration stated, “We recognise the importance to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up the deployment of clean power generation, including renewable energy, as well as energy efficiency measures, including accelerating efforts towards phase down of unabated coal power, in line with national circumstances and recognizing the need for support towards just transitions.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the adoption of the Declaration at the meeting of G20 leaders here on Saturday. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Delhi today.

This is Prime Minister Sunak’s first visit to India since becoming the UK’s Prime Minister in October 2022.

PM Modi conveyed his appreciation for the UK’s support during India’s G20 presidency, marked by high-level participation at G20 meetings and events.

The two leaders noted with satisfaction the progress in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation as per the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as well as the Roadmap 2030, particularly in economy, defence and security, technology, green technology and climate change, health and mobility sectors.

Both leaders also exchanged views on international and regional issues of importance and mutual interest.

Both leaders reviewed the progress of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and expressed hope that the remaining issues could be addressed at the earliest so that a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward-looking FTA is signed soon.

PM Modi invited PM Sunak for a bilateral visit at an early, mutually convenient date for a more detailed discussion. Prime Minister Sunak accepted the invitation and congratulated PM Modi for a successful G20 Summit.

New Delhi:

Achieving a consensus on the New Delhi Declaration in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war and “the strong views about it” required considerable time in the last few days, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. 

Asked about China’s take on the declaration, which is being seen as a major diplomatic victory for India, Mr Jaishankar said that it was “very supportive of the outcomes”. 

The minister’s statement assumes importance given the speculation in various quarters that Russia and China were unlikely to sign the declaration. Days before the summit began, a senior US official had also hinted at this and said that it was difficult to get “20 clocks to chime at the same time.”

John Kirby, US National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, had said that the summit could end without a joint declaration because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“Often times the sticking point tends to be the war in Ukraine because countries like Russia and China are less likely to sign on to language that the rest of the international community is more comfortable signing on to, so we’ll see where it goes. But we’d like to see that, absolutely,” Mr Kirby had said. 

China’s support for the declaration also comes at a time when India has strongly objected to its new “standard map” in which it has depicted Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region as part of its territory. The prolonged border stand-off in eastern Ladakh is another huge sticking point in India’s ties with the country.

When a reporter compared the New Delhi Declaration with the one at the G20 Summit in Bali last year and asked whether references to Russia and its aggressions had been kept out to get the country to sign on, Mr Jaishankar said “Bali was Bali, New Delhi is New Delhi”. 

“Bali was a year ago, the situation was different and many things have happened since then. In fact, if you see, in the geopolitical segment of the declaration, there are eight paragraphs, seven of which actually focus on the Ukraine issue. Many of them highlight problems which are of great contemporary significance,” he said.

“One should not have a theological view of this. I think the New Delhi declaration responds to the situation and concerns as they are today just as the Bali declaration did in a situation which was there a year ago,” the minister added. 

In the Bali declaration, a paragraph had said the group “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demands its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine”.

The New Delhi declaration, while making a reference to Bali, states “Concerning the war in Ukraine, while recalling the discussion in Bali, we reiterated our national positions and resolutions adopted at the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly and underscored that all states must act in a manner consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety.”

A call to end “global trust deficit”, launch of rail and shipping connectivity network linking US, India, Saudi Arabia and Gulf and Arab states and the launch of Global Biofuel Alliance were some of the big takeaways from the G20 meet in Delhi.

Here the key takeaways from the G20 meet: