COUNTRY REVIEW

South Asia

Afghanistan

• Afghan Judge: NATO cannot win war against Afghanistan’s heroin trade only with military might ; A British soldier killed in a roadside bomb blast in Southern Afghanistan

Pakistan

• Foreign Secretary level dialogue held between India and Pakistan in Thimphu; Two former police officials sent on judicial remand in connection with the Benazir Bhutto assassination case; The United States calls for release of American Diplomat accused of killing two Pakistanis

Bangladesh

• Commerce Minister of Bangladesh visited India’s North-east; Bangladesh hands over three ULFA Cadres to BSF; Foreign aid in Bangladesh fell by 45 per cent; Bangladesh claims legitimate authority over 450 nautical miles from the coastline in the bay of Bengal; 71 Bangladeshi Workers deported from the UAE

Sri Lanka

• Foreign Secretary of India visits Sri Lanka; Ninety One Sri Lankan fishermen released by India; Sri Lanka receives US$ 1.5 billion from IMF on account of the Stand By Arrangement facility; Collaboration between Sabaragamuwa province and Kerala Agricultural University; Flood relief assistance from Japanese NGO and Sri Lankan expatriate community in Russia; Sri Lanka temporarily bans on migrant workers visiting Egypt

Maldives

[January 24-30, 2011]

• India and Maldives sign agreement on IT assistance; Maldives establishes diplomatic relations with Liechtenstein; Maldives criticises Myanmar’s human rights record; President Nasheed supports Egypt’s democratic reform movement; Meeting between President Nasheed and US Deputy Secretary of State held; President meets Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; Minister of Education of Bangladesh paid a courtesy call to Vice President of the Maldives

[January 31-February 6, 2011]

• Maldives supports a democratic Egypt; Maldivian nationals in Egypt were brought back to Maldives with Indian assistance; $40 million sewer development project to control groundwater in 15 Maldivian Islands; India’s NTPC conducts feasibility study for solar projects in the Maldives

East Asia

China

• China closely watches the developments in Egypt; China denies reports of its ship having been hijacked in the waters off Yamen

Japan

• Japan, United States to work out road map to prevent nuclear terrorism, Japan, U.S. aim at boosting cooperation over space, cyberspace, Public opinion survey: 56 per cent say Ozawa should resign from Diet; Russian Minister visits Kunashiri Island off Hokkaido

Central Asia and Russia

Central Asia

• Kazakhstan to host SCO tenth anniversary; Kazakh presidential election to be held in April 2011; Seventh Asian Winter Games held in Astana-Almaty; Turkish PM Erdogan visits Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan to introduce E-Voting system; Tajikistan’s energy sector companies hold meeting in Dushanbe; Representatives of German companies visit Ashgabat; Uzbekistan to build third line of Kazakh-China pipeline; Uzbek-Chinese trade center to open in Eastern Uzbekistan

Russia

• Russia-US formally inaugurate new START treaty; Russian Defence Minister visits disputed South Kuril Islands; Japan terms the development as “extremely regrettable”; Medvedev allows an expert panel to reexamine the Khodorkovsky conviction; Russian airport bomber identified as a 20 year old Caucasus man; Manhunt for associates continues

West Asia

Iran

• India and Iran resolve oil payment issue; Iranian supreme leader and two hundred fourteen Iran parliamentarians support Egyptian uprising

Iraq

• 12 people killed in bomb attacks in Iraq

Egypt, Jordon & Yemen

• Egypt protests enter 14th day; Muslim Brotherhood joins talks; Protests in Jordan, Yemen and Iraq

USA

• The new START treaty activated; United States responds cautiously to the West Asian crisis

DEFENCE REVIEW

• Defence Ministry likely to fully utilise its capital outlays; IAF inducts the first C-130J Super Hercules