News articles and essays on the Indian diplomacy at work around the world.
In a message shared on X, Modi said the milestone reflected the trust and confidence placed in Meloni’s leadership by the Italian people. He also underlined the importance of her personal engagement in strengthening the India–Italy Special Strategic Partnership.
The visit comes during a particularly important year for India-Seychelles relations. Seychelles is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence, while the two countries are simultaneously marking 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Radhakrishnan conveyed his greetings to the government and people of Seychelles on the milestone.
Jaishankar’s central message was that the war cannot produce a durable political settlement through continued fighting. Reiterating India’s longstanding position, he said that solutions would not emerge from the battlefield and stressed that every additional day of conflict brought further deaths and destruction.
The decision was announced during Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s visit to India from September 2–4, 2026, during which defence emerged as one of the major pillars of the increasingly broad India-Belgium strategic partnership. Belgian Defence and Foreign Trade Minister Theo Francken accompanied the Prime Minister as the two countries pursued deeper military, technological and industrial cooperation.
The Quad’s maritime agenda has gradually broadened beyond conventional naval security. It now encompasses maritime-domain awareness, protection of shipping routes, transnational crime, illegal activities at sea and cooperation among regional information-sharing centres.
During their bilateral meeting, Rajnath Singh and Theo Francken reviewed the full spectrum of defence and defence-industrial cooperation. The two sides agreed to strengthen the relationship through a structured defence cooperation dialogue, high-level visits, professional military exchanges, training and capacity building.
De Wever, who is making his first visit to India since assuming office in February 2025, arrived with Belgian Defence and Foreign Trade Minister Theo Francken, senior officials and a high-level business delegation. His talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi reflected an effort by both countries to move the relationship beyond its traditional strengths in diamonds, chemicals and pharmaceuticals towards defence manufacturing, emerging technologies, clean energy and advanced industrial cooperation.
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force officially announced on August 25, 2026 that Exercise Veer Guardian 26 will be conducted with the Indian Air Force from September 9 to September 21 at Air Force Station Jodhpur and the surrounding airspace in Rajasthan. Japan will deploy three F-2A fighters from its 8th Air Wing at Tsuiki Air Base, accompanied by approximately 110 personnel. The wider deployment and redeployment phase will run from September 1 to September 30.
The deployment is expected to begin in September 2026 and will mark the first time Indian Air Force instructors have been integrated into the fast-jet training system at RAF Valley. The arrangement reflects the growing depth of professional cooperation between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force and represents an unusual reversal of traditional military training links between the two countries.
The meeting reviewed the expanding energy partnership between the two countries and explored new areas where cooperation could be deepened. Energy security, electrification, low-carbon development, carbon-market mechanisms and diversification of critical supply chains featured prominently in the discussions.
