FAQ

The 14th summit of BRICS countries will be held on 23 June in Beijing under the chairmanship of Chinese President Xi Jinping through digital medium.

• Along with President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are also expected to attend the summit.

• The theme of the summit is "Promoting High-Quality BRICS Partnership, Beginning a New Era for Global Development".

• Following the summit, leaders of BRICS countries and leaders of "relevant" emerging markets and developing countries will participate in high-level talks on global development chaired by President Xi Jinping in Beijing on June 24.

• Talks will be held digitally on the theme of "Promoting the Global Development Partnership to Build a New Era to Jointly Implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development".

Bricks Plus:

• China also held a 'BRICS Plus' meeting with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand on the sidelines of the Foreign Ministers' Conference.

• The New Development Bank of BRICS has already accepted Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Uruguay as its members.

Bricks:

• BRICS was discussed in 2001 by economist Jim O'Neill of Goldman Sachs in a report on the growth prospects for the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

• The first BRIC summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia in 2009 and discussed issues such as reforming the global financial system.

• In December 2010, South Africa was invited to join the BRIC and came to be known as BRICS.

• South Africa attended the third BRICS summit in March 2011 in Sanya, China for the first time.

• The BRICS account for about 40% of the world's population.

• It accounts for 30% of the world's GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

The Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares met the Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on 15 June 2022. He is on his first visit to India.

There were detailed discussions between the two minister’s  focused on enhancing cooperation in the key priority areas of trade and investments, people-to-people relationship, climate cooperation, green energy, science & technology, innovation and defence & security. 

Both the Ministers signed the Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in Cultural and Academic fields.

The two leaders welcomed signing of the defence contract as part of which Airbus Spain will supply 56 C295 aircraft to India. Out of 56, 40 aircraft will be manufactured in India under the Make in India programme of the government.

Both the countries agreed to further deepen defence and security cooperation. 

Spain 

Spain is a West European country located in the Iberian Peninsula along with Portugal.

Capital: Madrid

Currency: Euro

Prime Minister: Pedro Sánchez

The External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar while attending the GLOBSEC Forum 2022 in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia  on 4 June 2022 defended India’s policy on Ukraine.

The GLOBSEC Forum is a think tank based in Bratislava. It organises an International strategic conference in Bratislava every year.  The theme of this year conference was: Building Resilience in a Divided World 

• The External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that Europe has to grow out of the mind-set that its problems are the world's problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.”
• Western European countries led by the United States are pressurizing India to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and boycott it economically by not buying its oil.  
• Earlier in April in Washington he said that India’s total purchases of oil for the month would be “less than what Europe does in an afternoon”.
• S. Jaishankar is on a five-day official trip to Slovakia and the Czech Republic from June 2 to June 6.
• He will be in Bratislava till June 4 and has met the Slovakian Prime minister Eduard Heger and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok. 
•  He will be in the Czech Republic from June 4 to June 6 and will hold discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský. 
• The Czech Republic will be taking over the presidency of the European Union (EU) from July 1. 

The United Nation has accepted the request of the Turkish government and changed the name of the country from Turkey to Turkiye.

Last year the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a campaign to change the name to Turkiye as it is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people's culture, civilization, and values.

It is not uncommon for countries to change their names.

• In 2020, The Netherlands dropped Holland in a rebranding move. 
• Macedonia changed its name to North Macedonia due to a political dispute with Greece.
• Swaziland became e-Swatini in 2018.
• Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972.
• Further back in history, Iran used to be called Persia, Siam is now Thailand, and Rhodesia was changed to Zimbabwe. 

Turkey or Turkiye

Turkey lies partly in Asia and partly in Europe.

It's currency:  Turkish Lira

Capital: Ankara 

President: Tayyip Erdogan

Visiting Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Defence minister Minister Benjamin Gantz held a bilateral talk with the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on 2 June 2022.

Benjamin Gantz, who arrived in India on 2 June 2022, received a Tri-Service Guard of Honour in the presence of Rajnath Singh and laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.

India and Israel are celebrating 30 years of establishment of diplomatic ties.

Vision Document on Cooperation 

With the intention to further strengthen the existing framework of the Indo-Israeli defence cooperation, both sides adopted the India-Israel. 

A Letter of Intent on enhancing cooperation in the field of Futuristic Defence Technologies was also exchanged between the two Ministers.

Israel a major source of arms for India 

Israel has been among India’s top three arms suppliers for the last five years, according to a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in March 2021. 

Israel accounted for 13% of India’s imports during 2016-20 after Russia (49%) and France (18%).

The Israeli defence minister is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi also.

Passenger train services between India and Bangladesh resumed on 29 May 2022 after a gap of over two due to the corona pandemic with the flagging off the Bandhan Express from Kolkata station in West Bengal to Khulna in Bangladesh.

The train service was suspended between the two countries in March 2020 after the corona pandemic.

• The other passenger train , Maitree Express,  also resumed its  services between Kolkata and Dhaka in Bangladesh  on 29 May  2022.
• While the Bandhan Express between Kolkata and Khulna runs two days a week, Maitree Express connecting Kolkata with Dhaka is a five-day service.
• A new passenger train connecting New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal  and Dhaka, Mitali Express will start from 1 June 2022.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met American President Joe Biden at the side lines of the QUAD summit held in Tokyo, Japan on 24 May 2022 and reaffirmed the close strategic partnership with the United States of America based on a shared commitment to democratic values, rule of law and a commitment to uphold a rules-based international order. 

During the meeting both the sides launched a number of initiatives to strengthen India-America ties.

Highlights of the meeting 

Cooperation on High end Technology 

• They launched an India-U.S. Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) cooperation led by the National Security Council Secretariat in India and the U.S. National Security Council. 
•  It will bring together the government, academia and industry of the two countries in areas such as AI, quantum computing, 5G/6G, biotech, space and semiconductors.

Cooperation in the field of Defence 

Both sides expressed their commitment to deepen the Major Defence Partnership. In 2016, the US declared India a Major Defence Partner, which commits the American side to facilitate defence related technology sharing at the highest levels with India and collaboration for defence co-production and co-development.

The two sides announced that India was joining the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

• CMF was set up in 2001 by the United States to counter international terrorism and piracy.
• It is led by an American Vice-Admiral and currently has 34 members.
•  It also has three task forces devoted to maritime security in the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean, the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and for counterpiracy.

Health Sector 

•  India and USA extended the longstanding Vaccine Action Programme until 2027 to continue joint biomedical research which had resulted in development of vaccines and related technologies.
• This programme was launched in 1987 to support cooperation in areas such as novel vaccine research and human immunology, and is renewed every five years.  

Technology innovation 

The US will join six of India’s Technology Innovation Hubs to support 25 joint research projects in 2022 in areas such as artificial intelligence and data science that can benefit agriculture, health and climate. 

Joe Biden also raised the Russian invasion of Ukraine issue and condemned the Russians. India has so far not condemned the Russian for their invasion of Ukraine.

Elisabeth Bourne has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of France on 16 May 2022. She has become the second woman to hold this position in the country.

• French Prime Minister Jean-Casteux resigned on May 16, 2022, in a move expected after Emmanuel Macron was re-elected last month, with Elisabeth Born (61) appointed prime minister. 

• Macron and Bourne are likely to appoint a full government in the coming days.

• Bourne is the second woman to become the Prime Minister of France. Prior to him, Edith Cresson held the responsibility of the post of Prime Minister in 1991-1992.

• Born was Labor Minister in Macron's previous government since 2020. Earlier she had also been the Transport Minister.

France :

• Capital: Paris

• Currency: Euro

• Prime Minister: Elisabeth Bourne (second female Prime Minister)

• President: Emmanuel Macron (2nd term)

India has organized the Regional Anti Terrorist Structure (RATS) meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) anti-terror body in New Delhi on 16 May 2022.

• All the member countries of SCO are participating in this meeting. A three-member delegation from Pakistan has also participated in this.

• Pakistan's delegation reached India from Wagah border on 14 May 2022. The Pakistani delegation will be in India till May 20.

• China could not participate in this meeting due to Corona.

Main Objectives of RATS:

• The main objective of RATS is to combat terrorism, separatism in the region. SCO came into existence in 2001. India and Pakistan became its members in the year 2017.

Deputy Foreign Ministers of SCO member countries meet in Moscow: 

• It is noteworthy that the Deputy Foreign Ministers of SCO member countries met in Moscow, where they discussed the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan at the earliest.

• Afghanistan has been facing many problems after the Taliban came to power.

3rd Regional Security Meeting on Afghanistan:

• Earlier in November, the third regional security meeting on Afghanistan was held in New Delhi. It was attended by the National Security Advisors of the National Security Councils of India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The situation in Afghanistan was discussed in the meeting.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO):

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization came into existence on June 15, 2001 after the expansion of the 'Shanghai Five'.

• The Shanghai Five was formed in 1996 by Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

• In the year 1996, 'Shanghai-5' was formed out of a series of demilitarization talks, which the four former Soviet republics had with China for stability on the borders.

• After the entry of Uzbekistan into the organization in the year 2001, 'Shanghai-5' was named SCO.

• In the year 2017, India and Pakistan got the status of its member.

Caitlin Novak, 44, of Hungary has been elected the first female president. She is also the youngest President of Hungary at this age.

Important Facts:

• He replaced Janos Eder as President. Nowak will serve for a term of five years.

• Peter Rona was his opponent during the 2022 presidential election.

• She is a member of Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance.

• He has also served as a member of the National Assembly from the year 2018 to 2022. She also served as the Minister of Family Affairs from the year 2020 to 2021 under the fourth Viktor Orban government.

Hungary:

• The Republic of Hungary, officially the Republic of Hungary, is a landlocked country located in the Pannonian Basin of Central Europe.

• Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD and the Visegrad Group.

• The country is home to the world's largest hot water cave system and one of the largest hot water lakes, Lake Heaviz, is located here.

• Capital: Budapest

• Currency: Hungarian forint

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• President: Caitlin Novak