SCORE

'PRELIMS 2017'
Current Affairs

International
Relations
For Civil Services Examination

www.iasscore.in
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INDEX
A) Bilateral Relations
a) India Sri Lanka Kachchatheevu
b) Indo Japan Nuclear Deal - Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement
c) UK and Mauritius - Chagos Archipelago Dispute
d) India, Nepal Renew Petroleum Supply Agreement
e) India, Portugal Sign Six Agreements
f) India - Vietnam Agreements
g) India US - India Designated as Major US Defense Partner

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h) India, Chile ink Agreement to Expand Scope of PTA
i) India, Myanmar ink Four Agreements to Boost Bilateral Cooperation
j)
k)
l)
India, Ghana sign three Agreements
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India - Switzerland - Backs Indias bid for NSG Membership
India Afghanistan - Afghan-India Friendship Dam
m) India, Iran sign 12 Bilateral Agreements in Various Areas
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n) India, Oman sign 4 Bilateral Agreements on Defense Cooperation

o) India Extends 1 Billion Dollar Line of Credit to Mongolia
p) South China Sea Dispute
q) South Sudan: Civil War Crisis
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r) Syria Battle of Aleppo

s) Afghanistan - Extradition Treaty
t) India Mozambique Agreement
u) Columbia and FARC Agreement to End Civil War
v) Indus Water Treaty
w) India-USA Ties: LEMOA
B) Organisations in News
a) APAC - Urban Plus Approach by Asia Pacific Countries
b) ASEAN 2016 - Summit held in Vientiane, Laos
c) ORF (Observer Research Foundation)
d) Raisina Dialogue
e) RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership)
f) SCO - Shanghai Cooperation Organization Meet, 2016
g) NAM : Meet at Margarita Venezuela
h) SENDAI Framework 2015-30

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i) ADB - Asian Development Bank Approves $100 Million Loan

j) NATO Summit 2016
k) AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank)
l) SAARC Programming Committee
m) BRICS - Udaipur Declaration on Disaster
n) BRICS Bank and India
o) BRICS Youth Summit 2016: Call to Action
p) BRICS 2016 Meet - GOA Declaration
q) BIMSTEC - Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
r) G 20
s) GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council

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t) India Africa summit
u) Heart of Asia Conference - Istanbul Process
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v) South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund Formed
C) Joint Military Exercises
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BILATERAL RELATIONS
India Sri Lanka Kachchatheevu
Context In 2013, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly unanimously demanded
that the Government of India should take immediate steps to take back
control of Kachchatheevu, a small, barren island in the Palk Bay. The context
for reviving the demand is the continuous violent attacks, torture and arrest
of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Kachchatheevu Kachchatheevu is a tiny island, 285.2 acres in area, with not even a drop of
drinking water, located ten miles northeast of Rameshwaram. Traditionally,
the island was frequented by Indian fishermen, who used it as a staging
post to dry their nets and their catch. There is also a Catholic church,
dedicated to St. Anthony. Pilgrims from both countries visit the island every

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year at the end of March for a week-long festival. Kachchatheevu was
ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974.
Issue
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During the last three decades the rich fishing grounds, especially
lucrative on the Sri Lankan side of the maritime boundary, have become
a bone of contention among fishermen in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lankan
Tamil fishermen and Sri Lankan Navy. Nearly 400 Indian fishermen
have been killed in incidents of firing, several boats have been
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destroyed, many fishermen have been injured and catch worth crores
of rupees have been dumped into the sea.
The island came into prominence after Independence when the
delimitation of maritime boundary in Palk Bay was taken up by two
governments. The Sri Lankan side emphatically maintained that
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Colombo exercised effective control over the island from very early
times.
The ceding of Kachchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974 was a political decision
taken by two Nations. In order to avoid constitutional amendment, New
Delhi adopted the stance that the island was a disputed territory. For, if
Indian Territory is to be ceded to a foreign country, it is obligatory to amend
Indian constitution.
In 2008, Jayalalitha filed a petition in the Supreme Court appealing
that the 1974 and 1976 agreements should be declared null and void;
the case is pending before the Supreme Court.
The 1974 Agreement while ceding Kachchatheevu to Sri Lanka, also
protects traditional fishing rights enjoyed by Indian fishermen to fish
in and around Kachchatheevu. Unfortunately these traditional rights
were also given away when the maritime boundary agreement
delimiting the Gulf of Mannar and the Bay of Bengal was signed in
1976. The fishermen in Tamil Nadu feel, with justification, that the
two agreements have struck a death blow to their livelihood.

Indo Japan Nuclear Deal - Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

Context India and Japan signed a historic bilateral civil nuclear cooperation
agreement during Prime Minister Narendra Modis two-day visit to Tokyo.
Bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement is seen as crucial for energy-

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starved India to access sensitive nuclear technologies to generate clean
electricity. Its a move that will boost bilateral economic and security ties
and facilitate leading U.S.-based players to set up atomic plants in India.
Indias Energy Scenario India currently has 5.7 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power generation capacity.
This accounts for 2% of the total power capacity, but this is expected to
change with a sharp increase in power generation from atomic plants over
the next 16 years as Asias third largest economy moves away from fossil
fuels for its energy needs. Indias Department of Atomic Energys target is
to have 63GW of nuclear power capacity by 2032.
Key Highlights of the 1. The Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy pact provides
Agreement for the development of nuclear power projects in India and thus
strengthening of energy security of the country.
2. The present agreement would open up the door for collaboration
between Indian and Japanese industries in Indias Civil Nuclear
programme.
3. The pact enables India to obtain high-quality components for nuclear
reactors, especially ones that we are negotiating for with Westinghouse
(Electric Co.) and (French) Areva SA. Westinghouse Electric Company

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is a subsidiary of Japans Toshiba Corp. Areva, too, accesses key
reactor components from Japanese firms.
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4. Among the other agreements signed was one to skill 30,000 Indian
youth in the Japanese styled manufacturing in the next 10 years. This
would be achieved through the programmes of Japan-India Institute
for Manufacturing (JIM) and the Japanese Endowed Courses (JEC) in
select Engineering colleges.
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5. Pacts on cooperation in space, earth sciences, agriculture, forestry and

fisheries, transport and urban development and sports were also signed.

UK and Mauritius - Chagos Archipelago Dispute

Context Mauritius is threatening to take the UK to the international court of
justice in a dispute over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. The British
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Gov has sought Indian assistance in resolving current tensions between

Chagos Archipelago
About Dispute
the U.K., and Mauritius over the future of the Diego Garcia Island in
Indian Ocean Chagos Archipelago
The Chagos Archipelago or Chagos Islands is a group of seven atolls
comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean
about 500 kilometres south of the Maldives archipelago
Diego Garcia is an atoll and the largest of 60 small islands comprising
the Chagos Archipelago.
Chagos islanders were expelled in the 1960s by the British to make
way for their military bases. Now the British Gov said that will not be
allowed to return to their Indian Ocean homes in the future.
Confirmation of the ban on resettlement follows decades of
unsuccessful legal challenges in the UK against removal by members
of the Chagossian community who have been resettled in Britain.
Announcing the long-awaited decision, British Gov said there would
be a 40m support package over the next decade to help exiled
islanders improve their lives.
The government has decided against resettlement of the Chagossian
people on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests,
and cost to the British taxpayer.

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Mauritius criticized the UK governments refusal to let the Chagossian
community return to the island, which always formed and continues
to form an integral part of the territory of Mauritius.

India, Nepal Renew Petroleum Supply Agreement

Context India and Nepal have renewed the supply agreement between Indian
Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) for
another five years.
Agreement Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said that the renewed agreement
is an umbrella document between the two parties which apart from
detailing the supply of petroleum, oil and lubricant products and also
puts in place an institutional mechanism for cooperation in the areas
of additional services and technical assistance between the two.
Besides renewing the oil supply agreement, the two sides have agreed
to expedite construction of the Amlekhgunj-Raxaul petroleum pipeline.
Both the countries proposed to extend the pipeline to Chitwan and

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Nepal will bear the cost of the extended line and India will provide
technical assistance.

two countries.
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The two countries also discussed building a gas pipeline between the

The two sides talked about importing natural gas from India for the
purpose of producing fertilizer.
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India, Portugal Sign Six Agreements
Context Recently, Portugal PM Antonio Costa along with his delegation visited India
on a 7 day visit. A total of six Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs)
between India and Portugal were signed, including one on defence
cooperation. The Portuguese PM had also accepted the invitation to become
the Chief Guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The two leaders also called
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for eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist

networks and their financing, and sought adoption of the Comprehensive
Convention on International Terrorism by the UN.
Six Agreements Signed MoU on Defence.
MoU on Renewable Energy.
MoU on Marine Research and Resources.
MoU in the Agriculture and Allied Sectors.
MoU in the field of Information Technology and Electronics.
MoU on the establishment of an ICCR Chair of Indian Studies in
University of Lisbon.
MoU on Defence Cooperation The defence agreement between both countries aims to boost joint
production and development of niche weapons systems.
It was signed following Portugals support to Indias multilateral plans
in various technology regimes including Missile Technology Control
Regime (MTCR) in which India secured membership in 2016.
The MoU on Defence cooperation will help us harness each others
respective strengths in this field for mutual benefit
India thanked Portugal for supporting Indias efforts to get a
membership in the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group.

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India - Vietnam Agreements
a) Civil Nuclear Deal
Context
Key Highlights of the Civil
Nuclear Deal
b) Different areas of cooperation
Context
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What are the other Important
Bilateral Developments?
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Both the Nations called for tough global action against terror networks
and states harboring them stressing that there should not be any double
standards in combating terrorism.
India also thanked for Portugals consistent support and assistance to
Indian defence delegations transiting Portugal.
In a significant development, India and influential East Asian nation
Vietnam signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, with India asserting
that it will further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership
between the two countries.
Vietnam is the 14th country with which India signed the civil nuclear
deal.
The two countries also signed three other agreements to enhance
aviation links, to jointly work in the area of energy efficiency and
promotion of parliamentary cooperation.
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The two countries had earlier in 1986 signed a pact in the civil nuclear
field which was limited to training. However, the new agreement is
OR
broadbased and encompasses research on nuclear reactors
The cooperation in research on nuclear reactors will get activated once
India gets membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group
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India and Vietnam recently signed 12 agreements that cover IT, space,
double taxation and sharing white shipping information among others. India
and Vietnam build Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Defence ties to
strengthen Indias Act East Policy and India has extended USD 500 million
to Vietnam for defence cooperation.
Vietnam has shown a keen interest cooperating with India in
Air and defense production.
Indias L&T will build offshore high speed patrol boats for Vietnamese
Coast Guards, while a pact was signed on cooperation in UN
peacekeeping matters.
Indian Navy and Vietnam Navy will cooperate in sharing of white
shipping information.
Indias trade with Vietnam is worth USD 8 billion currently, and is
expected to hit the USD 15 billion mark by 2020.
India is also working to build oil and gas reserves off the Vietnam
coast.
India has already invested USD 1.8 billion in a thermal power project
in Vietnam, making it one of the top 10 investors in the country.
Discussions are also on for India to sell its supersonic Brahmos cruise
missiles to Vietnam and also provide technical assistance for the
maintenance of the hardware.
The Prime Minister also announced a grant of USD 5 million for the
establishment of a Software Park in the Telecommunications University
in NhaTrang.
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The framework agreement on Space Cooperation, India would allow
Vietnam to join hands with Indian Space Research Organisation to
meet its national development objectives.

India US - India Designated as Major US Defense Partner

Context Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and United States Secretary of
Defence Ashton Carter finalised Indias designation as a Major Defense
Partner of the United States. This was announced in the India-US joint
statement on Carters visit to New Delhi.
Major Defense Partner The designation as a Major Defense Partner is a status unique to India
and institutionalizes the progress made to facilitate defence trade and
technology-sharing with India to a level at par with that of the United
States closest allies and partners, and ensures enduring cooperation
into the future.
During PM visit to Washington, the US said it recognized India as a
Major Defense Partner. Both acknowledged the US-India defence
relationship as a possible anchor of stability, with the United States

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committed that it will continue to work toward facilitating technology
sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies
and partners.

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Indias Major Defense Partner status has, however, been made a part
of the India Amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act,
2017 (NDAA), approved by the US Congress to allocate funds annually
to the US military. This Bill is expected to be passed shortly which will
put a formal, official stamp on Indias status.
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Besides recognising Indias status as a Major Defense Partner, the India
Amendment will designate an American official to ensure the success
of the Framework for the United States-India Defense Relationship
which was signed last year, to approve and facilitate the transfer of
advanced technology, and to strengthen the effectiveness of the US-
India Defense Trade and Technology Initiative and the durability of
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the India Rapid Reaction Cell in Pentagon.

India, Chile ink Agreement to Expand Scope of PTA

Context An agreement on the expansion of IndiaChile Preferential Trade
Agreement (PTA) was signed between India and Chile in September,
2016.
Preferential Trade Agreement A Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between India and Chile was
earlier signed in 2006 and came into force with effect from August,
2007. In the original PTA, Indias offer list to Chile consisted of 178
tariff lines the Margin of Preference (MoP) ranging from 10%-50% at
8-digit level and Chiles offer list to India consisted of 296 tariff lines
with MoP ranging from 10% - 100% at 8-digit level.
Under the expanded PTA, Chile has offered concessions to India on
1798 tariff lines with Margin of Preference (MoP) ranging from 30%-
100% and India has offered concessions to Chile on 1031 tariff lines
at 8-digit level with MoP ranging from 10%-100%.
Indias export basket with Chile is diversified and keeping in view the
wide variety of tariff lines offered by Chile, the expanded PTA would
immensely benefit India.
India and Chile Among the LAC (Latin America and Caribbean) countries, Chile was
the third largest trading partner of India during 2015-16.

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Indias bilateral trade with Chile stood at US$ 2.64 billion with exports
at US$ 0.68 billion and imports at US$ 1.96 billion respectively during
2015-16(P).
India has friendly relations with Chile. Chile has been cooperating
with India at the International fora and expansion of India Chile PTA
will enhance the trade and economic relations between the two
countries.
The expansion would be an important landmark in India-Chile relations
and consolidate the traditional fraternal relations that have existed
between India and LAC countries.

India, Myanmar ink Four Agreements to Boost Bilateral Cooperation

Context Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and President of Myanmar U
Htin Kyaw have signed four Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
related to infrastructure, renewable energy and traditional systems of
medicine to increase cooperation and bilateral relations .
U Htin Kyaw is Myanmars first democratically elected President to

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visit India. This agreements will helps improve cooperation between
India and Myanmar and will bring overall socio-economic development
of their population.
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Signed Agreements MoU on cooperation in the Field of Renewable Energy.
MoU on cooperation in the construction of 69 Bridges
MoU on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine.
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MoU on cooperation in the construction and upgradation of the Kalewa

Yagyi Road Section.

India, Ghana sign three Agreements

Context India and Ghana on Monday signed three bilateral agreements to
strengthen co-operation in varied fields. Though symbolic in nature,
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the pacts came during the first ever visit of President Pranab Mukherjee
to the country.
Agreements The three agreements signed with Ghana, included one for visa waivers
for holders of diplomatic and official passports and one for setting up
a Joint Commission.
The commission will periodically review various aspects of the multi-
dimensional ties between the two countries. A mutually convenient
date for its first meeting will be decided later.
After hosting the third India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) in New Delhi
in 2015, India is working on a plan to consolidate and further strengthen
its engagement with Africa.
Nuclear Cooperation Ghana has sought Indias civil nuclear cooperation to explore the
possibilities of reducing its dependence on traditional energy sources
to cut costs and focus on cleaner environment.
Ghana is signatory to COP 21 [Paris climate deal] and want to move
towards clean energy.
India is the largest foreign investor in Ghana today, with more than
700 projects. More than 222 of these projects are in the manufacturing
sector.

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India - Switzerland - Backs Indias bid for NSG Membership

Context India managed to win the crucial support of Switzerland in a major boost to
its diplomatic push for Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership ahead
of a key meeting of the 48-nation bloc.
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) NSG is a multinational body concerned with reducing nuclear
proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that
may be used for development of nuclear weapons.
Set up in 1974 as a reaction to Indias first successful nuclear tests
(code name Smiling Buddha conducted on 18 May 1974) to stop so
called misuse of nuclear material meant for peaceful purposes.
Currently, NSG has 48 members.
NSG Membership Its membership will help India significantly expand its atomic energy
sector.
Swiss President promised India support in its efforts to become a member
of NSG. The two countries agreed to step up cooperation in unearthing

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black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks. Combating the menace
of black money and tax evasion was shared priority for both the

countries.

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The US and many other NSG member countries have supported India's
inclusion based on its non-proliferation track record. The NSG works
under the principle of unanimity and even one countrys vote against
India will scuttle a membership bid.
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India has been pushing for membership of the bloc for last few years
and had formally moved its application which will be taken up for
consideration in its plenary meetings.

India Afghanistan - Afghan-India Friendship Dam

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Context
Salma Dam (Friendship Dam)
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi have inaugurated a multi-million-dollar dam in western
Afghanistan that will bring power and irrigation to vast tracts of the
war-torn country.
The Afghan-India Friendship Dam in Herat province, which borders
Iran, was built with Indian aid at a cost of $300 million and was under
construction for about a decade.
The dam, originally built in western Herat province in 1976 before
being damaged during the civil wars of the 1990s, was rebuilt by some
1,500 Indian and Afghan engineers, according to the Indian Ministry
of External Affairs.
It is symbol of friendship and light up homes, nourish the fertile fields
of Heart and bring prosperity to the people of the region

India, Iran sign 12 Bilateral Agreements in Various Areas

Context India and Iran have decided to jointly combat terror, radicalism and
cyber crime as the two strategic partners signed 12 agreements.
It includes a milestone pact on developing the key Chabahar port
for which India will provide $500 million. Besides developing the
Chabahar port, the two sides signed agreements in diverse fields like
trade credit, culture, science and technology and railways.

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Agreements India-Iran Cultural Exchange Programme - The objective is to extend
the CEP for the period 2016-2019 covering the areas of culture and
art; radio, TV, mass media and cinema; and relevant general and
financial terms.
MoU on Policy Dialogue between Governments and Interaction
between Think Tanks
MoU for training of diplomats and exchange of eminent speakers
Implementation Protocol (IP) on Cooperation in the Fields of Science
and Technology
MoU for cooperation between ICCR and ICRO - The MoU signed
between Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Islamic Culture and
Relations Organizations of the IR Iran provides for institutional
mechanisms for cooperation between ICCR and ICRO and lays down
the modalities for the cooperation.
Bilateral contract on Chabahar Port for port development and operations
between IPGPL [India Ports Global Private Limited] and Arya Banader
of Iran
The contract envisages development and operation for 10 years of

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two terminals and 5 berths with cargo handling [multipurpose and
general] capacities.
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MoU between EXIM Bank and Irans Ports and Maritime Organization
[PMO] on current specific terms for the Chabahar Port project - This
MoU is intended for the purpose of credit of 150 US dollar million for
Chabahar port. This confirms the availability of credit up to 3000 crore
rupees for the import of steel rails and implementation of Chabahar
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port.
MoU to establish a framework of cooperation between ECGC and EGFI
MoU to jointly explore the possibility of manufacturing aluminium
metal
MoU to enable IRCON to provide requisite services for the construction
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of Chabahar-Zahedan railway line

MoU for cooperation between the National Archives of India and the
National Library and Archives Organisation of the Islamic Republic
of Iran - This MoU aims at facilitation of exchange of information and
knowledge in the field of archival matters through exchange of
manuals, guidelines, rules, publications and other special literature on
archival topics.

India, Oman sign 4 Bilateral Agreements on Defense Cooperation

Context Defence minister Manohar Parrikar visited Oman during which four
memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and a protocol were signed
between the two nations.
MoUs/Agreements MOU on Defence Cooperation between the Ministry of Defense of
Sultanate of Oman and Ministry of Defence of India.
MOU between the Royal Oman Police (Coast Guard) and the Indian
Coast Guard in the field of Marine Crime Prevention at Sea.
MOU between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and India on
Maritime Issues.
Protocol between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman represented
by Royal Air Force of Oman and the Government of India represented
by the Indian Air Force on Flight Safety information Exchange.

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India Extends 1 Billion Dollar Line of Credit to Mongolia

Context Prime Minister on a two-day visit to Mongolia, held wide-ranging
discussions with his Mongolian counterpart Chimed Saikhanbileg and
the two leaders pledged to take bilateral economic partnership to a
new level.
India announced a US$ one billion credit line to Mongolia for
infrastructure development as they upgraded their ties to Strategic
Partnership and agreed to deepen defence cooperation besides
exploring potential for tie ups in areas like the civil nuclear sector.
Agreement India will provide a Line of Credit of US$ one billion to support
expansion of Mongolias economic capacity and infrastructure.
Both nations committed to further consolidate bilateral ties and upgrade
the comprehensive partnership to strategic partnership and agreed
to renew their Treaty of Friendly Relations and Cooperation.
The two sides inked 13 other pacts that include one on enhancing

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cooperation in border guarding, policing and surveillance, air services,
cyber security and new and renewable energy.

OR
India and Mongolia support the evolution of open, balanced and
inclusive security architecture in the Asia Pacific region based on
collected efforts, considering legitimate interests of all states of the
region guided by respect for norms and principles of international law.

South China Sea Dispute

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Context In July 2016, an international Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)

in its pronouncement had ruled that China has no legal basis over the
entire SCS. However, China has rejected PCA verdict and continue to
claim its hold on SCS.
China while claiming its rights over South China Sea has built artificial
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islands capable of supporting military facilities that is strategically vital

to that region.
To oppose Chinas moves, US had conducted freedom of navigation
operations close to artificial islands built by China in the SCS as it pose
a challenge to freedom of navigation. Besides, it also had agreed to
deploy a missile defence system in South Korea following repeated
nuclear and missile tests by Chinas ally North Korea.
South China Sea The South China Sea (SCS) is a controversial region on which China
exerting territorial rights over its large part. Some of these territorial
claims have been challenged by Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The area is made up of some 200 tiny islands, coral reefs, shoals,
sandbanks etc. grouped into three archipelagos of Spratlys, Paracels
and Pratas. The South China Sea (SCS) center on two major areas: the
Nansha Islands (the Spratly Islands) and the Xisha Islands (the Paracel
Islands).
The Nansha Islands consist of more than 230, perhaps as many as
over 400, islands, cays, reefs, atolls, banks and shoals, and are dispersed
over some 250,000 square km of the South China Sea.
The Xisha Islands consist of more than 20 islands, cays, atolls, reefs
banks and shoals lying about 150 nautical miles south of Hainan Island,
China.

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Disputes None of these islands and other features is permanently
inhabitable.Sovereignty over these islands or some of them and other
features has been hotly contested by five nationsChina (including
the local authorities in Taipei), Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and
Brunei.
Of these contesting parties, China and Vietnam claim sovereignty of
the Nansha Islands in their entiretybut has been firmly under Chinese
control and administration since the battle at sea in 1974 between China
and South Vietnam.

South Sudan: Civil War Crisis

Context South Sudan overwhelmingly voted to break away from Sudan in 2011
South Sudanese Civil War is a conflict between the forces of
government and opposition.
Fighting broke out between the SPLM (Sudan People's Liberation
Movement in opposition (SPLM-IO).) and SPLM-IO (in Opposition),

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igniting the civil war.
In January 2014 the first ceasefire agreement was reached. Fighting
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continued and would be followed by several more ceasefire
agreements.
Negotiations were mediated by "IGAD+" (which includes the eight
regional nations called the Intergovernmental Authority on
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Development as well as the African Union, United Nations, China, the

EU, USA, UK and Norway).
South Sudan South Sudan, officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked
country in northeastern Africa that gained its independence from Sudan
in 2011. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city.
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Syria Battle of Aleppo

Context The conflict began in 2011 with the Arab Spring. Syrians, like other
peoples across the region, rose up peacefully against their authoritarian
government.
Syrian Gov cracked down violently. Communities took up arms to
defend themselves, and then fought back in what became a civil war.
Some soldiers joined the rebels, but not enough to win.
Reason Trouble started when 15 school going children were arrested and
tortured for writing anti-government graffiti on a wall, against which
people took a peaceful protest, government responded angrily and
ordered to open fire, killing 4 persons.
The unprecedented firing by the government side took place at
mourners at the victims funerals killing other persons. Government
reiterated with force on peaceful civilian protest.
Following which the demonstration took the form of rebellion against
government, people demanded Syrian head Assad to step down but

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he refused.
Violence escalated and the country descended into civil war as rebel

Aleppo
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brigades were formed to battle government forces. The conflict is now
more than just a battle between those for or against Mr. Assad.
In 2011, Aleppo was Syria's largest city, with a population of 2.5 million
people. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been described by
Time as Syria's commercial capital.
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Nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad began on 15
March 2011, as part of the Arab Spring.(The Arab Spring was a series
of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread
across the Middle East in early 2011).
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Afghanistan - Extradition Treaty

Context In September 2016, during Afghan Presidents visit to India both the
countries have exchanged agreements on a mutual legal assistance
treaty, for peaceful uses of outer space and an extradition treaty.
The extradition treaty signed would provide a legal framework for
seeking extradition of terrorists, economic offenders and other criminals
from and to Afghanistan.
Extradition Bilateral, and usually reciprocal, treaty between sovereign states which
(upon request) provides for the surrender of person(s) accused of a
crime under the laws of the requesting state. Extradition may be barred
for offences other than those punishable in the surrendering state, and
(commonly) its courts must be convinced that a prima facie criminal
case exists.
Extradition plays an important role in the international battle against
crime. It owes its existence to the so-called principle of territoriality of
criminal law, according to which a State will not apply its penal statutes
to acts committed outside its own boundaries except where the
protection of special national interests is at stake.

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In view of the solidarity of nations in the repression of criminality,
however, a State, though refusing to impose direct penal sanctions to
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offences committed abroad, is usually willing to cooperate otherwise
in bringing the perpetrator to justice lest he goes unpunished.
Position in India: In India the extradition of a fugitive from India to a
foreign country or vice-versa is governed by the provisions of Indian
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Extradition Act, 1962. The basis of extradition could be a treaty between

India and a foreign country. Under section 3 of this Act, a notification
could be issued by the Government of India extending the provisions
of the Act to the country/countries notified.

India Mozambique Agreement

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Context
Agreement on Pulse trading
Agreement on Security
Co-operation
In a four nation visit to Africa by the Indian Prime Ministeron July
2016, India and Mozambique have signed three MoUs in areas of drug
trafficking, pulse trading and sports.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mozambique for import
of pulses either through the private channels or Government-to-
Government (G2G) sales through State Agencies nominated by the
two countries is a long term agreement.
According to the agreement, India will encourage greater production
of pulses in Mozambique with an assurance that it will be purchased
by India at a mutually agreed price.
The agreement is a win-win for the two countries as India generally
has a shortfall of pulses leading to price rise, Mozambique grows the
commodity without much consumption locally.
The agreement enables India to import 100,000 tonnes of pulses in
2016-17 with an option to scale it up to 200,000 tonnes by 2020-21.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mozambique for security
cooperation will reduce the drug trafficking and psychotropic
substances and related materials.
The two leaders also discussed cooperation between the two countries
and to develop these relations further in various fields for mutual benefit
of the two countries.

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Agreement on Sports
www.iasscore.in
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mozambique in sports
promotion will help both the countries to exchange their ideas, values
and cultures amongst youth with encouraging friendly relations.
It will also help in developing international perspective among the
youth and expanding their knowledge and expertise in the areas of
Youth Affairs and Sports.

Columbia and FARC Agreement to End Civil War

Context The historical agreement signed between the government of Colombia
and Marxist the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
rebels on November 2016 brought an end to a five decade war (one of
the worlds longest conflicts) which once took the resource rich country
to the brink of collapse.
This is the second attempt undertaken by Colombian Government to
end Latin Americas longest-running conflict (civil war) which has
killed 220000 people. The previous deal singed September 2016 was
rejected narrowly by the Colombian people in a popular vote held in

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October 2016.
Background of the War The war started as guerrilla movement inspired by Cuban Revolutionin

OR
the 1960s as a rural uprising for land rights by FARC
The main aim of FARC was to reduce the gulf dividing rich and poor
and land reform for equality in the Andean country. The conflict has
drawn in various leftist rebel groups, drug gangs and right-wing
paramilitaries over the decades.
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Outcomes of the Deal Within 90 days of approval of revised agreement, FARC rebels will
lay down their arms and reintegrate themselves into civilian life. Within
five months they are required to completely surrender all weapons to
the UN.
The new agreement mandates the rebels to declare their assets. The
money will be used for reparation payments to victims of the conflict.
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The Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the

Nobel Peace Prize in October 2016 for his best efforts to end the
war.

Indus Water Treaty

About Indus River The River Indus rises in Tibet, near Lake Mansarowar. Flowing west, it
enters India in the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir. Several tributaries,
the Zaskar, the Nubra, the Shyok and the Hunza, join it in the Kashmir
region. The Indus flows through Baltistan and Gilgit and emerges from the
mountains at Attock. The Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the
Jhelum joins together to enter the Indus near Mithankot in Pakistan. Beyond
this, the Indus flows southwards eventually reaching the Arabian Sea, east
of Karachi.
Historical background to During the first years of partition the waters of the Indus were
Indus Water Treaty apportioned by the Inter-Dominion Accord of May 4, 1948 which
requires India to release sufficient waters to the Pakistani regions of
the basin in return for annual payments from the Government of
Pakistan.
From the Indian point of view, there was nothing that Pakistan could
do to prevent India from any of the schemes to divert the flow of water
in the rivers. Pakistans position was dismal and India could do whatever
it wanted.

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After Independence the newly formed states were at odds over how to
share and manage water which was essentially a cohesive and unitary
network of irrigation. The source and the upper head stream being at
the Indian side, Pakistan felt its livelihood threatened by the prospects
of Indian control over the tributaries that fed water into the Pakistani
portion of the basin.
Thus the development on both sides over diverting the water raised a
dispute regarding the utilization of irrigation water from existing
facilities.
In December 1954, the two sides came to the negotiating table. The
World Bank proposal was transformed from a basis of settlement to a
basis for negotiation and the talks continued, stop and go, for the next
six years.
Finally with the various odds and even, the treaty was signed by the
Prime Ministers of both countries in 1960.
The Indus treaty stands out as the worlds most generous water- sharing
arrangement by far, in terms of both:
a) Water sharing ratio (80.52 per cent of the aggregate water flows in the

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Indus system reserved for Pakistan).
b) Total volume of basin waters for the downstream state (Pakistan gets
OR
90 times greater volume of water than Mexicos share under a 1944
pact with the U.S.).
The treaty also provides for the partitioning of the rivers by drawing a
virtual line on the map of India to split the Indus Basin into upper and
lower parts, limiting Indias full sovereignty rights to the lower section
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(the eastern flowing rivers) and reserving for Pakistan the upper rivers
of J & K the so called western flowing rivers.
It is the only inter-country water agreement which has the doctrine of
restricted sovereignty; where in the upper riparian state has not to
interfere in the downstream state.
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The treaty curbs Indias control over the timing and quantum of Pakistan
earmarked rivers trans-boundary flows.

India-USA Ties: LEMOA

Introduction India-US relations have been on an upswing since the turn of the century.
After breaking the logjam in India-US ties dating back to the Cold War
period, it was Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who during a visit to
the US, made bold move by going beyond the hesitations of history.
Recently the defence partnership between US and India took a new shape.
With the high level delegation meetings in August, decade long talks were
concluded on Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).
LEMOA was a long-anticipated bilateral deal on military logistics exchange,
which was first mooted in the early 2000s. After 12 years of back and
forth, India and the US have agreed on a logistics exchange memorandum
of understanding (LEMOA). This is a watered down version of the standard
logistics cooperation agreement that the US military has with dozens of
countries.
Key Features of LEMOA LEMOA formalises an ad-hoc arrangement already in practice and
Agreement furthers India-US military-to-military cooperation. The agreement
provides access to each others military facilities for fuelling and logistic
support on a reimbursable basis.

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The core of both agreements is a regularization of the ability of naval
ships and aircraft of both countries to dock in each others bases for
taking on supplies like fuel. Indian and US naval ships and aircraft
have often used each others naval and air bases before. Base usage
and taking on supplies will now be much easier for naval ships and
aircraft under both flags.
These activities are limited to joint military exercises, training, port
calls and humanitarian missions and other military activities that both
sides mutually agree to undertake.
It does not give the US automatic access to Indian military bases or to
logistical support, but simply smoothen existing practices.
The advantage over the current situation is precisely following: Though
the US does currently use Indian military bases and logistics during
joint military exercises this is managed on a case-by-case basis,
which is simply more cumbersome. LEMOA does not necessarily give
anything that the US does not already get, but it makes the process
more regularised.

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LEMOA helps grease the wheels on the bureaucracy underlying
defence collaboration, including reimbursements for military logistics
sharing.
Significance of LEMOA
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India will be the main beneficiary. While Indian naval ships and aircraft
increasingly venture further away from their home, India has no bases
and in some cases not even agreements with foreign governments along
the Atlantic and Pacific. The US navy and air force, on the other hand,
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has a global network which is now accessible to Indian ships and
aircrafts.
US warships and aircraft now have additional sites to use in India, but
they already have many bases around the region at their disposal.
Indian arrangements with the US for such access open up new options
in beefing up Indias logistics capacity for missions in the Indian Ocean.
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In one of the more concrete benefits, LEMOA strengthens Indias

outreach to areas that were not typically within its reach. With one
aircraft carrier in operations, Indias capacity to undertake far sea
operations has been fairly limited. Signing LEMOA opens up
opportunities such as gaining access to US military bases in Djibouti
and Diego Garcia.

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ORGANISATIONS IN NEWS
APAC - Urban Plus Approach by Asia Pacific Countries
Context The Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban
Development (APMCHUD) has adopted New Delhi declaration to
adopt Urban Plus approach.
This was the first such meeting held to discuss ways of realising the
New Urban Agenda that was finalised during the UN Conference on
Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (also known as Habitat
III conference) held in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016.
It was attended by representatives of Asia Pacific countries that account
for over 55% of global urban population.
APMCHUD APMCHUD is an intergovernmental mechanism for collaboration and

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cooperation in the field of housing and development among Asia
Pacific countries.
OR
It was established under the aegis and support of UN-Habitat.
It is consultative mechanism on the promotion of sustainable
development of housing and urban development in Asia-Pacific region.
The next biennial APMCHUD Conference will be hosted by Iran in
2018.
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ASEAN 2016 - Summit held in Vientiane, Laos

Context Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit was held in
Vientiane, Laos from 6th to 8th September 2016.
The theme of the summit was Turning Vision into Reality for a
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Dynamic ASEAN Community.

ASEAN ASEAN is a group of 10 South Asian nations which came into existence
on August 8, 1967 after ASEAN declaration (also known as Bangkok
declaration).
It is a regional organisation comprising that aims to promote
intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic integration
amongst its members.
Founder countries of ASEAN: Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore,
Philippines and Thailand.
Motto: One Vision, One Identity, One Community.
10 Members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ORF (Observer Research Foundation)

Context ORF in collaboration with MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) organised
its second edition of Raisina Dialogue from 19th to 21 January 2017,
which is Indias premier foreign policy dialogue.
ORF Observer Research Foundation (ORF) is an independent think tank
based in India. ORF was founded by the Ambani family and is currently
endowed by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Group.

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ORF started out with an approach towards dealing with internal issues
of the economy in the wake of the 1990s reforms. However, today its
mandate extends to security and strategy, governance, environment,
energy and resources, economic and development.
It began as a platform providing non-partisan research, where
policymakers, journalists, civil society actors and academicians could
come together to build pragmatic solutions in the liberal era.
ORF has been ranked as the highest think tank in India, according to
the latest Global Go To Think Tank Index Report, 2017.
It ranked 64th in the category of Top Foreign Policy and International
Affairs Think Tanks category.

Raisina Dialogue
Context The second edition of Ministry of External Affairs annual Raisina
Dialogue was held in New Delhi in Jan 2017.
Theme: The New Normal: Multilateralism in a multipolar world.

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The flagship geo-political conference was inaugurated by PM Narendra
Modi and was attended by delegates from 65 countries.
About Raisina Dialogue

OR
Raisina Dialogue is an annual conference held in New Delhi.
It is envisioned to be Indias flagship conference of geopolitics and
geo-economics.
The conference is held jointly by Ministry of External Affairs and the
Observer Research Foundation (ORF), an independent think tank based
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in India.
The name of conference comes from Raisina Hill which is the elevation
in New Delhi where presidential palace of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan
is located.
It is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectorial conclave,
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involving policy and decision makers, including cabinet ministers from

various Governments, high-level Government officials and policy
practitioners, leading personalities from business and industry etc.
It is organized on the lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue held in
Singapore.

RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership)

Context Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries are
concern to give greater market access to Chinese goods without gaining
in return. All these countries are also worried about agreeing to
eliminate tariffs altogether, a move that will mainly help China.
RCEP RCEP is the proposed mega-regional Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
between 16 Asia-Pacific countries.
Member Countries: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New
Zealand and the 10-member ASEAN bloc.
The RCEP negotiation process had started in 2013.
The proposed FTA aims to open up trade in goods and services as well
as liberalise investment policies.
Objective: To attain a modern, comprehensive economic partnership
that covers not only goods but also trade in services, investments,
technical cooperation, intellectual property, dispute settlement and other
related matters.

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It will cover a market of over 3 billion people in these 16 countries
whose total combined GDP is more than $17 trillion and collectively
account for 40% of world trade.

SCO - Shanghai Cooperation Organization Meet, 2016

Context Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit was held in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan in June 2016.
The 2-day meeting of heads of state of SCO conducted under the
presidency of Uzbekistan.
SCO SCO is a Eurasian economic, political and military organisation.
Established: 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders 6 countries viz. China,
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Headquarters: Beijing, China.
Aim: Jointly preserving and safeguarding regional peace, security and
stability and also establishing a democratic, fair and rational new
international political and economic order.
SCOs first enlargement was in 2001 with addition of Uzbekistan and

E
second enlargement was in July 2015 with addition of 2 new members
India and Pakistan.
OR
Presently, it has four observers Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and
Mongolia.
Since 2005, India was having an Observer status of SCO and had
applied for full membership in 2014.
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It is an outcome of The Shanghai Five grouping established in 1996

by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

NAM : Meet at Margarita Venezuela

Context The 17th edition of 2016 Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit
was conducted at Margarita Island in Venezuela on September 17-18,
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2016.
Mohammad Hamid Ansari, the Vice-President of India, was leading
the Indian delegation at the Summit.
NAM The organization was founded in Belgrade in 1961.
It was largely conceived by Indias first prime minister, J.Nehru;
Indonesias first president, Sukarno; Egypts second president, G.
A.Nasser; Ghanas first president Kwame Nkrumah; and Yugoslavias
president, J.B. Tito.
It is a group of states which are not formally aligned with or against
any major power bloc.
All five leaders were prominent advocates of a middle course for states
in the Developing World between the Western and Eastern Blocs in
the Cold War.
The phrase itself was first used to represent the doctrine by Indian
diplomat K. Krishna Menon in 1953, at the United Nations.

SENDAI Framework 2015-30

Context India and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction signed a
Statement of Cooperation of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk
Reduction (SFDRR).

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It was signed during the second day of the Asian Ministerial Conference
on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 held in New Delhi.
Sendai Framework SFDRR is an international Treaty that was approved by UN member
states in March 2015 at the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction held in Sendai, Japan.
It has framework for 15-year i.e. 2015 to 2030.
It is a voluntary and non-binding treaty which recognizes that the UN
member State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk.
Four specific priorities:
I. Understanding disaster risk.
II. Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk.
III. Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience.
IV. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and recovery,
reconstruction and rehabilitation.
It calls for sharing the responsibility with other stakeholders including

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local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.
It is successor of the Hyogo Framework for Action (20052015), which

reduction. OR
had been the most encompassing international accord on disaster risk

ADB - Asian Development Bank Approves $100 Million Loan

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Context Asian Development Bank (ADB) the multilateral lending agency has
approved 100 million dollars loan to strengthen a key irrigation system
and improve water management in the Vennar sub-basin of Cauvery
Delta in Tamil Nadu
About ADB ADB is multilateral lending agency based in Manila, Philippines.
Established: 1966.
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Members: It is owned by 67 members 48 from the region including

India.
Objective: Reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive
economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional
integration.
Most of the ADBs lending (~80%) is concentrated public sector
lending in five operational areas viz. Education; Environment, Climate
Change & Disaster Management; Finance Sector Development;
Regional Cooperation & Integration and Private sector lending.
It provides finance to both sovereign countries as well as private parties.
It provides hard loans to middle income countries while soft loans to
poorer countries.

NATO Summit 2016

Context North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit concluded at the
National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland in July 8, 2016. It was the 27th
formal meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
NATO The NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North
Atlantic Treaty signed in April 1949.
Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

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It consists of 28 independent member countries across North America
and Europe.
It is based on a system of collective defence whereby its member states
agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.
The combined military spending of all NATO members constitutes
over 70% of the global defence spending.

AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank)

Introduction The AIIB has been launched by the Chinese President Xi Jinping on
16 January, 2016.
Members The AIIB has a total of 57 members including 37 regional and 20 non-
regional prospective founding members.
The United States and Japan, two of the worlds biggest economies,
decided not to join.
Features AIIB is a multi-lateral lender set up to boost lending for infrastructure
projects in the Asia-Pacific region.
It will fund infrastructural projects such as energy, urban construction,

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transportation and logistics as well as education and healthcare.
It has authorized capital of US 100 billion dollars and subscribed capital
OR
of USD 50 billion.
China and India are among the largest shareholders with a 30.34 per
cent, 8.52 per cent share respectively and their voting shares are
calculated at 26.06 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively.
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The share of non-Asian countries is restricted to a maximum of 30 per

cent.

SAARC Programming Committee

Context Meeting of SAARC Programming Committee was held in Kathmandu,
Nepal.
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This was the first senior level meeting of Association since

postponement of 19th SAARC Summit in November 2016 after four
nations Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India had requested for
it following escalation of tension between India and Pakistan over the
issue of terrorism.
All eight members participated in the meeting.
SAARC SAARC is regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical
union in South Asia. It promotes development of economical and
regional integration.
SAARC Secretariat: Kathmandu (Nepal).
Member Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan (joined in 2007).
Nine observer states: Australia, China, European Union, Japan, Iran,
Mauritius, Myanmar, South Korea, and United States.
The idea for the SAARC was proposed by Ziaur Rahman, the then
President of Bangladesh on May 2, 1980. The seven founding countries
had met for first time in April 1981 and then in 1985, they created
SAARC Charter. The first SAARC summit was held in Dhaka
(Bangladesh) in December 1985.

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BRICS - Udaipur Declaration on Disaster

Context The meeting of Ministers of Disaster Management (MDM) of BRICS
countries concluded in Udaipur, Rajasthan in Aug 2016 with the
adoption of the Udaipur Declaration.
BRICS nations decided to set up a dedicated Joint Task Force for
Disaster Risk Management for regular dialogue, exchange, mutual
support and collaboration among them.
The roadmap for implementation of the three-year Joint Action Plan
(JAP) for BRICS emergency services (2016-18) was also finalised.
It focused on two themes:
a. Flood Risk Management.
b. Forecasting of Extreme Weather Events in the context of Changing
Climate.
BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

E
BRICS is the acronym for an association of five major emerging
national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

OR
Originally the first four were grouped as "BRIC" (or "the BRICs"),
before the induction of South Africa in 2010.
The BRICS members are all leading developing or newly industrialized
countries, but they are distinguished by their large, sometimes fast-
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growing economies and significant influence on regional affairs; all
five are G-20 members.
The ninth BRICS Summit will be hosted by China in 2017.

BRICS Bank and India

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Context Indias largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has inked a MoU with
the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) for a partnership in bond
issuances, co-financing, treasury management and human resources
in May 2016.
With this ICICI Bank becomes first financial institution in the country
to tie up with the BRICS NDB. The MoU was signed by NDBs first
President and ICICI Bank veteran KV Kamath and ICICI Bank Chief
Chanda Kochhar in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
New Development Bank New Development Bank (NDB) has been established by the BRICS
countries.
Objective: To provide financial support to public and private projects
via loans, guarantees, equity participation etc.
The authorized capital for NDB is $100 Billion while initial subscribed
capital is $50 billion. Initial subscribed capital was equally distributed
among the founding members {$10 billion each}.
Voting power of each member is equal to the number of its subscribed
shares in capital stock.
In July 2016, the bank has also issued its first Green Financial Bond 3
billion Yuan in the Chinese Interbank Bond Market.
The second Annual meetings of NDB will be held in India in 2017.

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BRICS Youth Summit 2016: Call to Action

2nd BRICS Youth Summit, 2016 was organized at Guwahati (Assam)
from 1st to 3rd July, 2016. The Theme for the Summit was Youth as
bridge for Intra-BRICS Exchanges. It discussed the challenges and
identified opportunities to address the needs of the youth and recognised
areas of cooperation based on mutual interest.
Reaffirming the recommendations from the 1st BRICS Youth Summit
held in Kazan, Russia in 2015, the four thematic areas of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship, Social Inclusion, Youth
Volunteerism and Youth Participation in Governance have been
included
Russia has invited the orchestra team of Gauhati University to
perform at the International Festival of Youths and Students in the
European nation next year.

BRICS 2016 Meet GOA Declaration

The eighth BRICS summit was held in Goa from 15 to 16 October

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2016. The summit concluded with adaptation of Goa Declaration.
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The theme for the summit was Building Responsive, Inclusive and
Collective Solutions.

BIMSTEC - Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal

Matters
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Context The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has
given its approval for signing and ratification of the Bay of Bengal Initiative
on Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has been designated as the Central Authority
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under Article 15 of the Convention.

Aims and Benefits of the The Convention aims to extend widest measures of assistance to each other
Convention through mutual cooperation for enhancing capability and effectiveness of
the Member States in investigation and prosecution of crimes, including
crimes related to terrorism, transnational organized crime, drug trafficking,
money laundering and cyber-crimes.
It will greatly contribute to more effective cooperation in the control of
criminal activities. It can potentially be useful in aiding law enforcement
agencies in tackling crime and terrorism, especially since they allow for
access to and sharing of data with any country that is a party to the agreement.
About BIMSTEC The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation involving a
group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia.
These are: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan
and Nepal.
Objective Technological and economic co-operation among south Asian and
south East Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
Commerce, investment, technology, tourism, human resource
development, agriculture, fisheries, transport and communication,
textiles, leather etc. have been included in it.

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G 20
It was started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central
Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Southeast Asian (Tiger
economies) financial crisis.
In 2008, the first G20 Leaders Summit was held in Washington DC,
US.
The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for its members
international economic cooperation and decision-making. It is
deliberating on global economic issues and other important
development challenges.
It comprises total 19 countries plus the European Union (EU),
representing 85% of global GDP, 80% of international trade, 65% of
worlds population.
The group had played a key role in responding to the global financial
crisis. Its members include India, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada,
China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico,

E
Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, South Africa, UK, US and EU.

GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council

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GCC is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union
consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf, except for Iraq.
The headquarters is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Member states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the
United Arab Emirates.
The Charter of the Gulf Cooperation Council was signed on 25 May
1981, formally establishing the institution.
All current member states are monarchies, including three constitutional
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monarchies (Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain), two absolute monarchies

(Saudi Arabia and Oman), and one federal monarchy (the United Arab
Emirates).

India Africa summit

Context The third India-Africa forum summit (IAFS) held in New Delhi on 26
October 2015. The four day summit (from 26 October to 30 October
2015) is one of the largest gatherings of African countries outside Africa
as all 54 nations of the continent had participated. It will address the
key challenges faced by African nations which include food, health
and environmental security etc
About IndiaAfrica Forum IAFS is an official platform for the African-Indian relations.
Summit It is held every 3 years and the venue is selected on rotational basis
from both sides.
Agenda of the summit: It covers various fields including agricultural
sector, trade, industry and investment, peace and security, promotion
of good governance and civil society, information and communication
technology (ICT) etc.
First Summit: It was held in 2008 in New Delhi and was represented
by 14 countries of Africa chosen by the African Union.
Second Summit: It was held at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and 15 African
countries had participated in it.

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Third Summit: This was earlier scheduled in December 2014 in New
Delhi, but it was postponed to October 2015 due to deadly Ebola
outbreak in few western African countries.

Heart of Asia Conference Istanbul Process

Context
About Heart of Asia Conference
The sixth edition of Heart of Asia- Istanbul Process of Aghanistan
conference, an annual regional gathering of Asian and other countries
was held in Amritsar, Punjab (India). It was inaugurated jointly by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. It
concluded with adaptation of Amritsar Declaration with its prime
focus on terrorism.
HoA conference is a part of the Istanbul Process established 2011 which
provides a platform to discuss an agenda of regional cooperation with
Afghanistan at its centre.
The 14 member countries of HoA engage in result-oriented cooperation
for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and, by extension, a secure and
prosperous region as a whole.
14 participating countries: Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Saudi

E
Arabia, UAE, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Three main elements:
OR
I. Political Consultation involving Afghanistan and its near and extended
neighbours.
II. Achieving sustained incremental approach to implementation of
Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) identified in the Istanbul Process
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document.
III. Seeks to contribute and bring greater coherence to work of various
regional processes and organisations, particularly as they relate to
Afghanistan.

South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund Formed

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Introduction
Reasons for the SEARHEF
India along with ten other member countries of World Health Organizations
(WHO) South-East Asian Regional Committee decided to set up a dedicated
fund aimed at building preparedness for health emergencies in the region.
The joint funding stream will be established under the South-East Asia
Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF). As this area (member
countries) is disaster-prone area, this would help in investing on Human
resources and infrastructure developing in at the time of emergencies.
Besides this the member countries also passed a resolution on promoting
physical activity and expanding health related workforce across the member
countries region.
The committee (regional) comprises of 11 countries Bangladesh, South
Korea, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal,
Thailand and Timor-Leste.
This regional committee is the apex body/ highest decision making body
of WHO (in South-East Asia region).
In the recent times, this area is heavily affected by
Natural calamities such as earthquakes, cyclones and floods
Non-communicable diseases and emerging diseases, including SARS,
MERS CoV, pandemic influenza and Zika virus.
Non-communicable diseases are majorly contributed by insufficient
physical activity in this region.

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JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES

A military exercise is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring
the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This serves the purpose of ensuring the
combat readiness of deployable forces and ensures the security of our nation.
List of all Military & Naval Exercises carried out by India
S.No. Name of Exercise Participating Country Nature of Exercise
1. YUDH ABHYAS India & United States Army exercise
2. KUVERIN India & Maldives Army exercise
3. AUSINDEX India & Australia Naval exercise
4. MITRA SHAKTHI India & Sri Lanka Army exercise
5. Malabar Naval Exercise India & US & Japan Naval Exercise

E
6. Sundarban Maitri India and Bangladesh Border Security Force
(BSF) and Border

7. Suryakiran OR
India and Nepal
February 8 to 21, 2016
Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
Army Exercise;

8. Ex Lamitye VII Indo-Seychelles Army Exercise;

SC
Joint Training 15 February to
28 February 2016
9. SAADMEx SAARC Disaster Management
Exercise by NDRF
10. Exercise Livewire IAFs annual exercise Indian Air Force
GS

11. HAND-IN-HAND India & China Army exercise

12. SLINEX India & Sri Lanka Naval Exercise
13. Indra India & Russia Army exercise
14. SAMPRITI India & Bangladesh Army exercise

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