International Relations Current Affairs One-liners — Last 12 months

Thu, 22 Jan 2026

• PM Narendra Modi received a call from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 22 January 2026; both reaffirmed the India–Brazil Strategic Partnership.

Wed, 21 Jan 2026

• India and Myanmar held the ninth meeting of their Joint Trade Committee in Nay Pyi Taw on 21 January 2026 and aim to raise bilateral trade from USD 2.15 billion to USD 5 billion by 2030.
• The Election Commission of India's three-day International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM) 2026 began at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 21 January 2026.

Tue, 20 Jan 2026

• Ships of the Indian Navy's First Training Squadron — INS Tir, INS Shardul and INS Sujata, with ICGS Sarathi — made a port call at Belawan, Indonesia, on 20 January 2026.

Mon, 19 Jan 2026

• UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India on 19 January 2026; the two sides agreed to double bilateral trade to US$200 billion by 2032 and signed letters of intent on defence, space and Dholera.

Sat, 17 Jan 2026

• Indian Coast Guard Ship Sankalp, an Offshore Patrol Vessel on overseas deployment in the Indian Ocean Region, made a port call at Port Louis, Mauritius, on 17 January 2026.
• The Indian Navy's First Training Squadron (1TS) — INS Tir, INS Shardul, INS Sujata and ICGS Sarathi — arrived at Changi Naval Base, Singapore, on 15 January 2026, the Defence Ministry said on 17 January.
• The Defence Ministry announced on 17 January 2026 that Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar would lead a four-member delegation to Kenya for the 3rd India–Kenya Defence Exhibition and Seminar in Nairobi on 19 January.

Fri, 16 Jan 2026

• The 6th ASEAN–India Digital Ministers' (ADGMIN) Meeting, held virtually on 16 January 2026 with the theme 'Adaptive ASEAN: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence', approved the ASEAN–India Digital Work Plan 2026.
• India and Germany signed a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Telecommunications Cooperation during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to India on 12–13 January 2026, the Communications Ministry said on 16 January.

Thu, 15 Jan 2026

• PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, New Delhi, on 15 January 2026.
• India and Israel signed a Joint Ministerial Declaration of Intent on fisheries and aquaculture on 14 January 2026 during Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh's visit to Israel, the Fisheries Ministry said on 15 January.

Wed, 14 Jan 2026

• The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Kaundinya, a traditionally built stitched sail ship, reached Muscat, Oman, on 14 January 2026 after completing its maiden voyage from Porbandar.
• President Droupadi Murmu accepted credentials from US Ambassador Sergio Gor, Austrian Ambassador Dr Robert Zischg and Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner Chandradath Singh at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 14 January 2026.
• The 22nd High-Level Meeting between the Indian Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard was held in New Delhi on 14 January 2026, co-chaired by ICG Director General Paramesh Sivamani and JCG Commandant Admiral Yoshio Saguchi.

Tue, 13 Jan 2026

• The Defence Ministry said on 13 January 2026 that the 16th ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Counter Terrorism, co-chaired by India and Malaysia, would meet in New Delhi from 14 to 16 January along with a Final Planning Conference for a Table Top Exercise.

Mon, 12 Jan 2026

• German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz began his first official visit to India on 12 January 2026, holding talks with PM Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad that produced a joint statement and a list of outcomes including visa-free transit through Germany for Indian passport holders.

Sun, 11 Jan 2026

• New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi delivered India's national statement at the 16th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi on 11 January 2026, saying India reached 50% non-fossil installed power capacity in 2025, five years ahead of its NDC target.

Sat, 10 Jan 2026

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal concluded a two-day visit to Brussels (8–9 January 2026), where he and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič guided negotiators to resolve pending issues and expedite the India–EU Free Trade Agreement.

Wed, 07 Jan 2026

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Liechtenstein on 7 January 2026, meeting Hereditary Prince Alois and Prime Minister Brigitte Haas, to speed up implementation of the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) and seek investment.

Thu, 25 Dec 2025

• India was selected by the Kimberley Process Plenary to chair the Kimberley Process from 1 January 2026, taking over as Vice Chair from 25 December 2025, the Commerce Ministry said on 25 December 2025.

Mon, 22 Dec 2025

• India and New Zealand announced the conclusion of Free Trade Agreement negotiations on 22 December 2025, giving zero-duty access to 100% of India's exports and a New Zealand commitment to facilitate USD 20 billion of investment over 15 years.
• India and New Zealand concluded negotiations on the Financial Services Annex of their Free Trade Agreement on 22 December 2025, with provisions on fast payment systems, fintech sandboxes and financial data.
• India Optel Limited signed a collaboration agreement with France's Safran Electronics & Defense in New Delhi on 22 December 2025 for transfer of production of the SIGMA 30N inertial navigation system and the CM3-MR direct firing sight.

Sat, 20 Dec 2025

• The first leaders' summit of the 'Central Asia plus Japan' Dialogue (CA+JAD) was held in Tokyo on 20 December 2025, chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with the presidents of all five Central Asian countries.
• India and the Netherlands exchanged an MoU on 20 December 2025 linking the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, Gujarat with the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam, during talks between S. Jaishankar and Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel.

Fri, 19 Dec 2025

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the closing ceremony of the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 19 December 2025 and, with WHO Director-General Dr Tedros, inaugurated the new WHO South-East Asia Regional Office building.
• India and the Netherlands announced the India–Netherlands Joint Trade and Investment Committee (JTIC) through an MoU in New Delhi on 19 December 2025, during Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel's visit.

Thu, 18 Dec 2025

• India and Oman signed the India–Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Oman on 18 December 2025 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, giving zero-duty access on 98.08% of Oman's tariff lines.
• Sultan Haitham bin Tarik conferred the Order of Oman on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Oman on 18 December 2025, during a visit that coincided with 70 years of India–Oman diplomatic relations.