BASIC ministerial meet on August 7, 8

•  The two –day 18th BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) Ministerial Meeting will get underway to discuss important issues relating to the current UNFCCC Climate Change negotiations specially on matters pertaining to the Adhoc Working Group on the Durban Platform.

•  The 17th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change was held in Hanzghou, China last October.

•  The BASIC Ministerial meeting provides an opportunity to Environment Ministers to enhance coordination on important issues in climate change negotiations and to arrive at a common position on such issues. The BASIC Ministers have been meeting regularly since the Conference of Parties in Copenhagen.

‘Developed nations must walk the talk on climate goals’

•  The BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) group reiterated that developed countries should walk the talk on climate change goals, accept their historical responsibilities of polluting the planet and finance technology transfer to the developing world.

•  BASIC proposed joint action on various issues including emission targets and other plans to be set out by next year.

•  A joint statement issued here after the two-day 18th ministerial meeting said progress after the Warsaw climate talks was reviewed and the 2015 outcome to be adopted at the meeting in Paris should be comprehensive, balanced, equitable and fair in order to enhance the effective implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

•  India said all countries should ratify the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol quickly and there should be full operationalisation of the Green Climate Fund. Under the Durban Platform, the countries were expected to increase their ambitions on emission cuts but that is not happening, with some like Japan reducing their targets.

‘India, Pakistan must negotiate FTAs’

•  Co-chair of the India-Pakistan Joint Business Forum (IPJBF) said that the two neighbours should consider negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs). He also expressed the hope that Islamabad would soon grant the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India as the formalities on the matter had already been completed. Pakistan is yet to reciprocate India’s grant of MFN status to it in 1996.

•  The PIJBF has constituted 10 task forces including for agriculture, banking and finance, energy, visa facilitation, textiles, automobiles, engineering and IT that will recommend steps and policies that the two neighbours could take for increasing bilateral trade and investments.

Committed to working with Modi government, says Singapore PM

•  Singapore Prime Minister Lee HsienLoong re-affirmed his commitment to working with newly elected leaders in India and Indonesia.

•  “There are new leaders in Indonesia and India. How their countries fare will affect the entire region. I look forward to working with them,” said Mr. Lee referring to Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi and Indonesian President JokoWidodo in his annual National Rally speech.

•  Highlighting Singapore’s concern about global uncertainties, Mr. Lee said: “The world is in flux. Conflicts far away could affect us.”

Japanese investment in smart cities high on Modi agenda

•  During his visit to Japan, from August 31 to September 3, Prime Minister NarendraModi is hoping to seal several bilateral agreements.

•  According to diplomatic sources, these will include infrastructural investment for the government’s “smart cities” initiative, with Japan proposing project development agreements on high-speed railways, more industrial corridors, and road-links and rail-links through the north-eastern States to ASEAN countries as well.

•  The one aspect of the new government’s foreign policy that has moved from the past is the tougher language of discourse with leaders.

Great expectations from Modi’s Japan trip

•  India has “great expectations” from Prime Minister NarendraModi’s five-day visit to Japa, his first bilateral trip outside the subcontinent.

•  Underlining the importance of the East Asian region, Mr. Modi’s visit to Japan will be followed by a Vietnam trip by President Pranab Mukherjee in September.

•  External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj just concluded a visit to Vietnam.

•  Top business leaders, including MukeshAmbani, GautamAdani and Kumar Mangalam Birla, will travel separately to Japan in visits timed to coincide with high-level business interactions Mr. Modi will initiate with his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe.

India, Pakistan hold third flag meeting

•  Officers of the Border Security Force and the Desert Rangers of Pakistan held their third flag meeting along the international border that has witnessed relentless ceasefire violations in the past month and a half.

•  While the BSF complained about regular ceasefire violations, the Pakistani Rangers denied the charge and drew attention to the loss of life and property in BSF shelling.
   

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