Iran halts visa-free entry for Indian travellers after rise in trafficking cases
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Tehran: Iran has withdrawn visa-free entry for Indian citizens holding ordinary passports, ending the waiver that had been in place since February this year. The suspension, effective November 22, follows a series of cases in which Indian nationals were reportedly trafficked or kidnapped after being lured to Iran with false promises of employment or transit to other countries.
The visa waiver was introduced as part of Iran’s tourism push for visitors from more than 30 countries, including India, and allowed Indians to stay for up to 15 days once every six months, as reported by Hindustan Times. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the scheme was repeatedly misused by criminal networks working with fraudulent agents, who convinced Indians to travel visa-free for jobs that did not exist.
According to the ministry, several of those who entered Iran under the waiver were abducted on arrival and held for ransom. The government had earlier cautioned travellers that visa-free access was strictly for tourism and did not permit employment of any kind.
With the suspension now in place, Indian nationals will be required to obtain a visa for entry or transit. The MEA said the move aims to curb further exploitation of travellers and urged citizens to avoid agents offering job placements or visa-free routes through Iran.
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Russian military hardware, spare parts for Indian military to be manufactured in India
New Delhi (PTI): Russia agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of military hardware and spare parts for maintenance of Russian-origin arms and defence equipment.
Ways to bolster overall bilateral defence cooperation figured prominently during summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
It has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that the supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time, affecting the maintenance of military systems procured from that country.
"Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India programme through transfer of technology," a joint statement said.
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It said both sides also agreed to set up joint ventures for meeting the needs of the Indian armed forces as well as subsequent export to mutually friendly third countries.
The joint statement said the India-Russia defence partnership is being reoriented to take up joint co-development and co-production of advanced defence technology and systems.
In their meeting on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov resolved to expand bilateral defence cooperation.
In the meeting, the Indian side showed keen interest in procurement of additional batches of S-400 missile systems from Moscow to bolster its combat prowess.
In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Three squadrons have already been delivered.
The S-400 systems played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor. India may also look at procuring the S-500 missile systems from Russia.
In the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides also agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral trade settlements through the use of national currencies.
Additionally, the two sides agreed to continue their consultations on enabling the interoperability of the national payment systems, financial messaging systems, as well as central bank digital currency platforms.
Modi and Putin appreciated the ongoing intensification of the joint work on a free trade agreement on goods between India and the Eurasian Economic Union, covering sectors of mutual interest, the joint statement said.
They also directed both sides to intensify efforts in negotiations on a mutually beneficial agreement on the promotion and protection of investment, it said.
India and Russia also welcomed steps to ensure long-term supply of fertilisers to India and discussed the potential establishment of joint ventures in this area.
