The recent visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India once again highlighted the continuous deepening of bilateral relations. In the last one decade or so both countries have not only been able to solve a number of long-pending disputes but also made tremendous progress in trade, commerce and connectivity. Cooperation in the area of energy security has been […]

It is more than one year now since the world’s sole superpower, the US has withdrawn its forces from Afghanistan after staying for 20 years and with trillions of dollars being spent on projecting its military might. Even though this was the longest and costliest military campaign of the US, unfortunately, the US, intentionally or unintentionally, somehow ignored to rebuild […]

Present-day Indian rulers, who are keen on establishing India’s presence in Central Asia, can draw inspiration from the daring and enterprising Indian traders of the medieval era, who were key participants in the trade along the Central Asian Silk Road. In Medieval times, Central Asia, now comprising the independent Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, were not known […]

In mid-September 2022, the nine-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for its 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State. Because China, India, and Pakistan are members of the SCO, the organization represents about 40 percent of the world’s population; with the addition of Russia, the SCO countries make up 60 percent of the Eurasian territory […]

Last week, renewed fighting broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus region, killing more than 200 people. As the traditional power broker in the region, Russia plays a key role in limiting violence; however, as a treaty ally of Armenia, it is not a neutral party in the dispute. On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced […]

India and Russia have historic ties and common interests that have led New Delhi to straddle a middle ground between Moscow and the West with respect to the Ukraine war. Russia’s August battlefield setbacks in Ukraine have caused some Indian leaders to question whether Moscow remains a reliable and effective strategic partner. India remains highly dependent on Russian arms imports […]

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently embarked on his first foreign tour since the pandemic began, visiting Kazakhstan and then attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan. One month ahead of the 20th Party Congress, where President Xi is expected to further consolidate power, the trip provided an opportunity for Xi to portray himself as a leader with strong foreign […]

The CIA on Saturday revealed the model of a safe house used to brief President Joe Biden about the whereabouts of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri before it killed him in a drone strike in Afghanistan. Shortly after al-Zawahiri’s death, White House officials released a photo showing Biden talking to CIA Director William Burns with a closed wooden box on the […]

The Embassy of Qatar in Kabul has announced that the specialized Qatari technical team has successfully concluded its duties at Kabul International Airport. According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Saturday, the Qatari technical team had assisted in rehabilitating Kabul Airport in line with international standards, which was pivotal to the delivery of humanitarian and […]

Saudi Arabia has asked the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to not let the country become a sanctuary for terrorist activities. Speaking at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has called for the joint cooperation of all countries to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a center for the growth […]