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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Jul 04, 2025

India Rejoins Unicode Consortium for Global Language Support

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) rejoined the Unicode Consortium as a Supporting Member this year, becoming one of just two government members with a vote on the body.
The consortium and its technical body are in charge of determining the text and emojis that are standard across the internet, and have played a major role in ensuring that languages around the world, including Indian languages, are recognised by computer systems globally. The IT Ministry was previously a member from 2000 to 2019, and then for one year in 2021.

Russia Becomes First Nation to Recognise Taliban Government of Afghanistan

Russia became the first nation to recognise the Taliban government of Afghanistan since it took power in 2021, announcing it has accepted an ambassador from the Islamist group.
The new Afghan ambassador to Russia, Gul Hassan Hassan, handed his credentials to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.
In the aftermath of the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia was one of a few nations to maintain a diplomatic presence in the country. Russia removed its designation of the Taliban as a terrorist group in April 2025.
While the Taliban has exchanged ambassadors with China and the United Arab Emirates, and has a long-standing political office in Qatar, those countries do not recognise it as the government of Afghanistan.

Jul 02, 2025

Pakistan Assumes UN Security Council Presidency for July 2025

Pakistan assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of July 2025.
Pakistan assumed the rotating Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the month of July 2025. Pakistan's two-year term as a non-permanent member of the Council began in January 2025.
The presidency rotates monthly among its 15 members, in alphabetical order.
Pakistan's earlier terms on the Council were in 2012-13, 2003-04, 1993-94, 1983-84, 1976- 77, 1968-69 and 1952-53.

Jul 01, 2025

Suriname's National Assembly Newly-Elected Chairman Ashwin Adhin Takes Oath in Sanskrit

Suriname's newly elected National Assembly chairman Ashwin Adhin took his oath in the Sanskrit language.
He is the second leader in Suriname to take his oath in Sanskrit.
Earlier in 2020, Suriname's President Chandrikapersad 'Chan' Santokhi took oath in the Sanskrit language during his inauguration ceremony.

Jaishankar Attends Quad Meet in US

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was in Washington, DC at the invitation of US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting (QFMM).
During the meeting, the leaders built upon the discussions held during the last QFMM, which took place in Washington, DC on January 21, 2025.

Thailand PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra Suspended

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended by the country's Constitutional Court, as it opened a probe into her conduct in a diplomatic spat with Cambodia.
The Constitutional Court with a majority of 7-2 suspended the respondent from Prime Ministerial duty from July 1 until the Constitutional Court has made its ruling. This happened after a group of conservative senators lodged a case accusing Paetongtarn of breaching ministerial ethics during a border row with Cambodia.

Jun 27, 2025

Iran Parliament Passes Resolution to Suspend Cooperation with IAEA

Iran's parliament unanimously agreed to suspend all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear inspectorate, making it harder for an independent expert assessment to be made about the degree of damage inflicted on Iran's three key nuclear sites by the joint US and Israeli bombing.
It also makes it harder for the location of any highly enriched uranium to be known. The vote is a sign that Iran wants to harden its negotiating position on cooperation with the west in the wake of 12 days of attacks mounted by Israel and the US, but supported by European governments only with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Jun 26, 2025

Raksha Mantri Participates in SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in China

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh led a high-level Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting held at Qingdao, China. During the meeting, the Defence Ministers discussed a number of issues, including regional and international peace & security, counter-terrorism efforts and cooperation among the Ministries of Defence of SCO member states.
India refused to sign joint statement in the SCO summit
SCO is an inter-governmental organisation established in 2001. India became a full member in 2017 and assumed the rotating Chairmanship in 2023. The SCO membership includes Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus, besides India. China assumed the Chair of the SCO for 2025 under the theme 'Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move'.

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