COUNTRY REVIEWS

South Asia

Bangladesh

• Bangladesh began building container ships for the first time; Another Jamaat leader indicted by the International Crimes Tribunal

Sri Lanka

• India is planning to supply two naval warships to Sri Lanka; Ten Sri Lankan fishermen arrested by Indian coastguard; Sri Lanka suspends purchasing medicine and pharmaceutical items from the Indian company Alvita Pharma; Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms meets President Rajapaksa; Iraq’s Labor and Social Affairs Minister called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa; Iraq’s Labor and Social Affairs Minister meets President; Sri Lanka expresses concern over alleged use of chemical weapons near Damascus in Syria; Sri Lanka ranks 65th in the Global Competitiveness Report; BASL to study the gazette notification assigning powers to the President to deploy army personnel to any district; Energy World International to invest up to US$1.35 billion to establish a LNG terminal and a power plant in Sri Lanka

Maldives

• Mohamed Nasheed faces runoff election; A high-level Indian delegation went to the Maldives to observe the Presidential election

West Asia

Iran

• Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Ashton agreed to hold a meeting on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly meeting regarding Iran’s nuclear programme

Iraq

• 18 people killed in bomb attacks in Baghdad

Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Foreign Minister meets with Egypt Prime Minister and Defence Minister; discuss bilateral cooperation

GCC

• GCC urges intervention in Syria

CENTRAL ASIA & RUSSIA

Central Asia

• Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Central Asian nations; A French parliamentary delegation visits Uzbekistan

Russia

• Russia’s Foreign Ministry urges the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to analyze risks of a potential US military operation in Syria; President Putin accuses that US Secretary of State Kerry ‘lied’ on presence of Al Qaeda in Syria; Russia does not rule out backing military action in Syria; Russia criticizes the shelling of its embassy in Damascus; Russia warns about the dangers of playing with missiles after Israel launches missiles; Russia and Venezuela have backed UN/LAS special envoy’s actions to settle Syrian crisis; President Putin has declared that Russia will not engage in conflicts in other countries; Three Russian naval ships to enter Mediterranean; Gazprom ready to negotiate lower gas prices with Lithuania; Russia and Japan to continue consultations on South Kurile; Russia and China signed a strategic aerospace cooperation agreement; Russia may retaliate to arrests of its citizens in third countries at US request; A naval task force from Russia’s Northern Fleet heading towards the eastern Arctic; Armenia is ready to join Customs Union

United States of America

• President Obama: World set a red line against the use chemical weapons; US Secretary of State John Kerry makes the case for strike on Syria; Kerry: Sarin gas used in Syria chemical attacks; United States Congressmen discuss Syria strike; President Barack Obama appeals to an undecided American public to back his bid to use military force in Syria; United States and Baltic States sign joint political declaration

DEFENCE REVIEW

National

• Defence Minister Antony calls induction of the C-17 Globemaster III in the Indian Air Force as a ‘defining moment’; Defence Minister: With this, the IAF has taken a giant stride towards its goal of acquiring multi- spectrum strategic capabilities, essential to safeguard India’s growing areas of interest; Defence Minister Antony: Shri Shyam Saran has not stated in this report that China has occupied, or has denied access to India to any part of Indian territory
  

International

• Iran’s foreign minister has slammed potential US-led air strikes against Syria as illegal; US ambassador to the United Nations criticises the UN Security Council for its failure to condemn Syria.