The logo and website for the 8th World Hindi Conference (WHC) were launched today in New York by the Hon’ble Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri Anand Sharma, at a function organized at the Consulate General of India.

High-Level Officials of the G-4 (Brazil, Germany, India and Japan) met in Brasilia on 19 April 2007 to assess recent developments regarding United Nations Security Council reform. They reaffirmed the need for an urgent reform of the Security Council. In that context, they reiterated the G-4 proposal that includes new seats in both categories, permanent and non-permanent, and encompass developed as well as developing states.

 India and Azerbaijan have agreed to cooperate in several areas including oil and gas with the corporate sector set to play a greater role.

This was the result of a meeting between the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev and
visiting Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh at Baku last week.

We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks in Algiers on Wednesday which resulted in the death of many innocent people and injured hundreds. Terrorism is a heinous crime and cannot be condoned in any form. The international community should cooperate closely to counter terrorism everywhere with renewed resolve and total firmness.

The Defence Secretary level talks between Pakistan and India on the Siachen issue within the framework of the Composite Dialogue were held in Rawalpindi on April 6-7,2007. The Pakistan delegation was led by Mr Kamran Rasool, Defence Secretary while the Indian delegation was led by Mr Shekar Dutt, Defence Secretary.

The Government of India and the Government of Afghanistan signed an MOU on India-Afghanistan foundation on 3rd April 2007 in New Delhi. The MOU was signed by the Ambassador of India to Afghanistan, Shri Rakesh Sood, and the Ambassador of Afghanistan to India, Dr. Sayed Makhdoom Raheen, in the presence of External Affairs Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee and Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta.

External Affairs Minister: We have just concluded a very successful, indeed a landmark, 14th SAARC Summit. Let me briefly go over some of the main points.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, His Excellency Mr. Hamid Karzai; the Chief Adviser of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, His Excellency Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed; the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, His Excellency Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk; the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh; the President of the Republic of Maldives, His Excellency Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom; the Prime Minister of Nepal, Rt. Hon’ble Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala; the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, His Excellency Mr. Shaukat Aziz; and the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, met at the Fourteenth Summit meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) held in New Delhi, India on April 3-4, 2007.