India-Australia to sign pact on terror cooperation

New Delhi, May 17 (PTI India and Australia will soon sign a pact on cooperation in combating international terrorism and transnational organised crime as the government gave its nod to it today.
                             

A meeting of the Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave approval to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Australia on cooperation in combating international terrorism and transnational organised crime with retrospective effect.

The proposed MoU would strengthen the relationship between India and Australia for building peace and stability in the region through exchange of information, expertise, experience and capacity building, an official statement said.

The pact is an effective framework to deal with all issues requiring interaction and cooperation in the areas identified.

The mutual cooperation would facilitate the institutional interactions between the two countries.

The MoU, once in force, would help in curbing combating international terrorism and transnational organised crime, the statement said.

The cabinet has also given its approval to the faculty exchange agreement signed between the National Defence College, New Delhi and National Defence College, Dhaka, Bangladesh with retrospective effect.

The objective of the agreement is to institutionalise regular exchange programmes and establish sustainable mechanisms between the two national defence colleges with an aim to enhancing mutual cooperation in the field of national security, development and strategic studies, an official statement said.

Given the geographical and cultural closeness between the two countries, there are many common challenges like countering terrorism that needs joint action.

Hence, there is a need for better coordination and cooperation among the armed forces, it said.

The exchange of faculty members of the premier institutes will help to bring symmetry in the capacities of the armed forces and contribute to countering and managing common threats and challenges much better.

Xi, Trump pledge to expand win-win cooperation, manage differences

MAR-A-LAGO, United States, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, pledged on Friday to expand mutually beneficial cooperation and manage differences on the basis of mutual respect.
                               

The two leaders also agreed that their first meeting, held at the seaside Mar-a-Lago resort in the U.S. state of Florida, was "positive and fruitful."
During their talks over the past two days, Xi and Trump exchanged views on key areas of bilateral cooperation as well as global and regional issues of common concern.
Xi said his first meeting with Trump bears unique significance to the development of China-U.S. ties.
He added that he and Trump, during the meeting, have also gained better understanding of each other, cemented their mutual trust, scored many major consensuses, and built up a good working relationship.
The two sides need to further enhance their relations so as to better serve the interests of the two countries and their peoples, and to promote world peace and prosperity, Xi said.
China and the United States are now each other's biggest trading partner, from which the two peoples benefit a lot, said Xi.
Xi said China is pushing forward the supply-side structural reform, boosting domestic demand and increasing the share of the services industry in its national economy.
Xi also underlined the importance of further enhancing law enforcement cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
"I think we have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China," the White House cited Trump as saying after meeting with Xi, adding that the relationship developed by Xi and himself is "outstanding."
U.S. representatives have been meeting one-on-one with their Chinese counterparts, and progress has been made, said the U.S. president.
Trump said the United States is willing to further strengthen cooperation with China in economy, military affairs and people-to-people exchanges, and support China's efforts in hunting for fugitives who have fled abroad and recovering illicit money.
Ahead of the two presidents' second round of talks, senior Chinese and U.S. officials on Friday initiated the comprehensive economic dialogue and the diplomatic and security dialogue, two of the four pillars of the newly established bilateral dialogue mechanisms.

Turkish, Russian news agencies sign cooperation deal

Turkey's Anadolu Agency and Russia's official TASS news agency have signed a cooperation deal in the Russian capital Moscow on Friday.

The agreement was signed by Anadolu Agency Chairman and Director-General Senol Kazanci and TASS Director-General Sergey Mihaylov at a ceremony at Kremlin Palace in presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip and Russian President Vladimir Putin following their face to face meeting.

The agreement covers exchange of news stories and photos.

It also aims to enable flow of fast and accurate news between the two news agencies as well as sharing of their experiences.

As part of the deal, TASS will be able to benefit from Anadolu Agency's War Journalism Program.

Turkey's oldest news corporation Anadolu Agency broadcasts in eleven languages, including Turkish, English, French, Arabic, Persian, Kurdish (two dialects), Russian, Macedonian, Bosnian (three dialects) and Albanian, which enables it to reach millions of people around the world.

AA covers the world with its correspondents in 81 countries.

Malaysia, Saudi Arabia will form joint working committee on exchange of experts

A joint working committee between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia will be formed to review the skills required by both countries in an exchange of experts initiative, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem.

This followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the governments of Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in the field of human resources and manpower which was sealed Monday.

"Today's MoU is a bit different because normally I sign matters relating to labour for the recruitment of foreign workers to work in this country.

"But today is for the exchange of experts that we have in various skills to contribute to both countries," he told reporters after representing Malaysia in signing the MoU in Seri Perdana here.

The MoU was signed jointly with Saudi Arabia's Social Development and Workers Minister Dr Ali Nassir Al Ghafies and witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Dr Ali Nassir also represented Saudi Arabia in signing the MoU in the field of scientific and educational cooperation with Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.

Idris said the MoU was pertaining to strategic cooperation between the two countries in the exchange of lecturers, student mobility and studies being implemented in the higher education institutions of both countries.

Besides the two MoUs, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia also signed several major agreements, including on cooperation in the economic field.
Also sealed today was the MoU between the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on cooperation in news exchange.

Enhance cooperation to protect common interests

BRICS countries should enhance solidarity, cooperation and safeguard common interests as they face growing uncertainties and instabilities in international situations, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who assumes the Presidency of the five-member bloc this year.
                 

Facing growing uncertainties and instability in international affairs, BRICS countries need to enhance solidarity and safeguard common interests, Mr. Xi said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russia President Vladimir Putin, South African President Jacob Zuma and Brazilian President Michel Temer, official media reported.

Briefing fellow BRICS leaders about China’s blueprint for promoting cooperation among the member states during China’s presidency of the bloc this year, Mr. Xi said Beijing will host the ninth BRICS leaders’ summit in Xiamen, a coastal city in southeastern China’s Fujian province in September this year.

The summit will focus on four aspects, deepening pragmatic cooperation for common development, enhancing global governance to jointly counter challenges, carrying out people-to-people exchanges to consolidate public support for cooperation and promoting mechanism-building to construct broader partnership, said Mr. Xi, also the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

The Shanghai-based bank headed by Indian banker K V Kamath has started disbursing loans for various green infrastructure projects in the five countries.

Mr. Xi’s letter comes ahead of US President-elect Donal Trump taking over as President later this month amid apprehensions that he would pursue hardline U.S. centric policies which Beijing avers will affect the current order of globalisation benefitting the emerging economies.

China hopes cooperation among BRICS grouping will move forward to a new level during its 9th summit, Mr. Xi said.

Official visit of Prime Minister of Qatar to India

At the invitation of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar undertook an official visit to India from 2-3 December, 2016.
               

HE the Prime Minister of Qatar was accompanied by senior Ministers, including Finance, Transport & Communication and Municipality & Environment, apart from the CEOs of Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Qatar Airways as also Deputy CEO of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and several key captains of Industry.

The visit is significant as it comes in the context of efforts to review progress made on key tracks of the bilateral relationship to build on the agreements reached during the visit of the Prime Minister of India, Sh Narendra Modi, to Qatar on 4-5 June 2016.

The two Prime Ministers had a delegation level meeting followed by a working lunch. During the talks, the two Prime Ministers reviewed the state of bilateral relations and exchanged views on ways and means to further expand and consolidate the close, multi-faceted relationship between the two countries, underpinned by age-old trade and people-to-people contacts.

The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction with the close ties of friendship and understanding between India and Qatar and reiterated their resolve to further strengthen cooperation in all fields.

They emphasised that all existing bilateral institutional mechanisms be convened regularly and steps be taken to push forward the bilateral agenda in an effective manner.

Three Agreements/MOUs were signed, including the Agreement for Exemption of Visa Requirement for Holders of Diplomatic, Special and Official Passport Holders, and MOUs on Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and Combating Cyber Crime; and between the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy of Qatar and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in addition to a Letter of Intent for e-visas for tourists and businessmen. Separately, an MoU between Qatar Ports Management Company ("Mwani Qatar”) and Indian Ports Global Private Limited was concluded.

Croatia and Ukraine Expanding Business Cooperation

Croatian-Ukrainian economic forum will help Croatian companies enter the market of 45 million consumers.

Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Croatia and head of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivica Pirić will organize by the end of the year the Croatian-Ukrainian business forum in Kiev, which he expects will be opened by Croatian and Ukrainian prime ministers, reports Lider on November 1, 2016.

Forum will mainly be devoted to food processing and production, as well as to the opportunities to increase trade with this huge market. Pirić expects that about 25 to 30 leading Croatian companies from these sectors will participate in the forum. The forum will also be an opportunity for Croatian companies to present their products. Pirić notes that there are almost no Croatian products sold in Ukraine, with the exception of Podravka.

Until Croatia entered the European Union, every week several charters from Ukraine arrived to Croatian coast. The number of tourists from Ukraine could again increase, especially now since visa requirement should soon be abolished by the European Union.

Pirić claims there is great interest in investments from Ukraine, but many companies and businessmen unfortunately do not have very good experience with Croatia, due to many barriers, especially bureaucratic ones. “I am sure that the entry of our companies and products to the Ukrainian market can be a good springboard for opening the door for Croatian products in other countries which are close to Ukraine”, concludes Pirić.