MEA

July 1, 2025 6:05 PM

India, Pakistan exchange lists of prisoners and fishermen

India and Pakistan on Tuesday exchanged the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen held in each other’s custody, as part of a practice under the bilateral Agreement on Consular Access signed in 2008. The lists were exchanged simultaneously through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Islamabad. The agreement mandates the exchange of such lists twice a year — on January 1 and July 1. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India handed over a list of 382 civilian prisoners an...

July 1, 2025 10:11 AM

India, Bhutan hold Development Cooperation Talks in New Delhi

Development Cooperation Talks between India and Bhutan were held in New Delhi on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The discussions focused on reviewing the entire spectrum of the India-Bhutan development partnership. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening mutual cooperation across key sectors. The Indian delegation was led by Secretary (West) in the MEA, Tanmaya Lal, while the Bhutanese side was headed by Foreign Secretary Aum Pema Choden. Th...

June 30, 2025 6:56 PM

Economic agenda to dominate PM Modi’s historic two-day Ghana visit

Economic agenda will dominate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Ghana, one of the fastest-growing economies in West Africa, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday. The African nation will be the first stop on PM Modi's five-nation visit, starting July 2 followed by Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia. The July 2-3 visit will be Prime Minister Modi's first ever bilateral visit to Ghana and the first Prime Ministerial visit from India to Ghana after t...

June 29, 2025 10:40 AM

India rejects Pak Army’s claims on Waziristan suicide attack, says statement deserves contempt

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday strongly rejected the Pakistan Army's claim that India was behind the Waziristan suicide bomber attack. "We have seen an official statement by the Pakistan Army seeking to blame India for the attack on Waziristan on 28 June. We reject this statement with the contempt it deserves," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement on X. As many as 13 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 29 others injured, including 19 civilians, in a suicide att...

June 24, 2025 12:27 PM

Operation Sindhu: 2,295 Indians evacuated from Iran, 604 from Israel as India steps up rescue efforts

India evacuated 292 of its nationals from Iran early Tuesday as part of Operation Sindhu, a mission launched to ensure the safety of Indian citizens amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. The evacuees arrived in New Delhi at 3:30 AM IST on a special flight from Mashhad, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. “292 Indian nationals were evacuated from Iran on a special flight that arrived in New Delhi from Mashhad at 0330 hrs on 24th June,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal ...

June 16, 2025 10:16 AM

Indian students being relocated to safer places in Iran amid escalating tensions: MEA

Amid the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said India is closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety and welfare of its nationals in both countries. In a statement posted on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “The Indian Embassy in Tehran is continuously monitoring the security situation and engaging Indian students in Iran to ensure their safety. In some cases, students are being relocated with the Embassy's facilit...

June 13, 2025 11:47 AM

India, China agree to expedite resumption of direct flights, rebuild bilateral ties

India and China have agreed to expedite the resumption of direct air services and work towards stabilising and rebuilding their bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. The announcement followed a meeting between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during his two-day visit to India. The two sides reviewed the progress made since their last talks in Beijing on January 27 and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening people-centr...

May 29, 2025 9:31 PM

Since January, 1,080 Indians deported from US; 62% returned on commercial flights, says MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that since January 2025, around 1,080 Indians have been deported from the United States, with approximately 62 per cent returning on commercial flights. Speaking at the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have close cooperation between India and the United States on migration issues, on the deportation of Indian nationals who are either in illegal status there or who travel illegally. We take them back onc...

May 29, 2025 9:13 PM

India rolls out new visa module for Afghan nationals with six categories: MEA

India has implemented a new visa module for Afghan nationals, effective from April 29, replacing the previous E-Emergency Ex-Miscellaneous Visa system. Announcing the change at a press briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the move is aimed at further strengthening people-to-people ties between India and Afghanistan. The new module allows Afghan citizens to apply under six visa categories — medical, medical attendant, business, entry, stude...

May 29, 2025 7:16 PM

We are clear that talks and terror don’t go together: MEA on Pakistan

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday reiterated India's stance on bilateral discussions with Pakistan, saying that the only matters left for discussion between the two countries are Pakistan's handover of terrorists and the vacation of illegally occupied areas of Jammu and Kashmir. “As far as our engagement with Pakistan is concerned, our stand has been clear. Any engagement must be bilateral. We would like to reiterate that terrorism and talks cannot go togeth...