International Relations
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International Relations 1. ANTARCTIC DIPLOMACY The first ever high-level Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly was organised by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) headed by UK at the Westminster, London. Antarctic Treaty : • The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica. • The treaty entered into force in 1961 and currently has 54 parties. • India officially acceded to the Antarctic Treaty System on 1 August 1983. • On 12 September 1983, the country became the fifteenth Consultative Member of the Antarctic Treaty. • The treaty sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, establishes freedom of scientific investigation, and bans military activity on the continent. • The treaty was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War. • Since September 2004, the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat headquarters has been located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Indian Antarctic Program: The Indian Antarctic Program is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional program under the control of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. It was initiated in 1981 with the first Indian expedition to Antarctica. India’s research stations in Antarctica: ● Dakshin Gangotri, ● Maitri and ● Bharati Bharati: Located beside Larsmann Hill at 69°S, 76°E, Bharati is established in 2015. This newest research station for oceanographic research will collect evidence © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 1 of continental breakup to reveal the 120-million-year-old ancient history of the Indian subcontinent. The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, (NCPOR) Formerly known as the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) is an Indian research and development institution, situated in Vasco da Gama, Goa. It is an autonomous Institution of the Department of Ocean Development (DOD), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India which is responsible for administering the Indian Antarctic Programme and maintains the Indian government's Antarctic research stations, Bharati and Maitri. 2. ARCTIC COUNCIL At 11th Arctic Council ministerial meeting held at Rovaniemi in Finland, India was re-elected as an observer to intergovernmental forum Arctic Council. It was established by the eight Arctic States through the Ottawa Declaration of 1996. These are— Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 2 • It is an Intergovernmental forum which addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and people living in the Arctic region • It is Not a treaty-based international organization but rather an international forum that operates on the basis of consensus. • The decisions, recommendations or guidelines of the Arctic Council are non- enforceable and strictly the prerogative of the individual state. • Its mandate explicitly excludes military security. ● The Council does not prohibit the commercial exploitation of resources in the Arctic. ● Seat of Secretariat: Tromsø, Norway ● India became observer for the first time in 2013. India and Arctic region • Himadri, India’s only research station in the region opened in 2008. • National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research was renamed as the National Centre for Polar and Oceanic Research (NCPOR) in 2018. • Norwegian Programme for Research Cooperation with India (INDNOR): India and Norway’s bilateral research cooperation. • National Centre for Polar and Oceanic Research (NCPOR) signed a contract with FESCO Transportation Group for access to the icebreaker vessel which will be utilised both for general cargo deliveries to Antarctic stations and scientific activities in the Arctic region as India currently lacks a Polar-suitable vessel. • India’s ONGC (Videsh) holds a 26-percent stake in Russia’s Vankorneft project (to produce hydrocarbons from Vankor field in Siberia). • IndARC is India's first underwater moored observatory in the Arctic region. 3. OPEC & OPEC+ According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) plus might face sharp demand fall due to a recent surge in crude oil production from the countries like USA, Norway, and Guyana. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) ● The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 3 ● It aims to manage the supply of oil in an effort to set the price of oil in the world market, in order to avoid fluctuations that might affect the economies of both producing and purchasing countries. ● It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. ● OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization. ● Gabon terminated its membership in January 1995. However, it rejoined the Organization in July 2016. ● OPEC has a total of 13 Member Countries viz. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates(UAE), Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Angola and Venezuela are members of OPEC. ● Qatar left OPEC in 2019, after joining the organization in 1961, to focus on natural gas production, of which it is the world’s largest exporter in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG). ● Ecuador announced that it would leave OPEC on 1 January 2020. In a communique released after its meeting in Vienna, OPEC officially acknowledged that Ecuador had left the oil producers' organization effective January 1, 2020. OPEC+ ● The non-OPEC countries which export crude oil are termed as OPEC plus countries. ● OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan. ● The Opec and non-Opec producers first formed the alliance at a historic meeting in Algiers in 2016. ● The aim was to undertake production restrictions to help resuscitate a flailing market. © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 4 4. RAISINA DIALOGUE ● The Raisina Dialogue was held between January 14-16, 2020. It is a multilateral conference that is held in New Delhi annually since 2016. ● The dialogue is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and Observer Research Foundation. ● It includes ministers from Russia, Iran, Maldives, Morocco, Australia, Bhutan, Denmark, Czech Republic, Uzbekistan and Estonia. Theme: 21@20: Navigating the Alpha Century ● The conference has emerged as India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics. ● The fourth edition of The Raisina Dialogue was held at the Taj Diplomatic Enclave in New Delhi, India from January 08–10, 2019. ● The theme for the 2019 conference was “New Geometrics | Fluid Partnerships | Uncertain Outcomes”. ● The conference is named after, “Raisina Hills”, which is the seat of Government of India and Rashtrapatibhavan. The dialogue was designed on the lines of Shangri-La dialogue. Participants: The conference is a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral meeting involving policy and decision-makers, including but not limited to Foreign, Defence and Finance Ministers of different countries, high-level government officials and policy practitioners, leading personalities from business and industry, and members of the strategic community, media and academia. SHANGRI LA DIALOGUE ● The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's premier defense summit. It’s a unique meeting where ministers debate the region’s most pressing security challenges, engage in important bilateral talks and come up with fresh solutions together. ● The forum gets its name from the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore where it has been held since 2002. ● It is a “Track One” inter-governmental security forum held annually by an independent think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) which is attended by defense ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states. Track 1 Diplomacy: Official discussions typically involving high-level political and military leaders and focusing on cease-fires, peace talks, and treaties and other agreements. Track 1.5 Diplomacy © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 5 This term is used when both officials and non-officials are engaged in a diplomatic negotiation. Often foreign leaders travel with businessmen. Track 2 Diplomacy (Backchannel Diplomacy): Unofficial dialogue and problem-solving activities aimed at building relationships and encouraging new thinking that can inform the official process. In this case, diplomatic dealings are pursued through non-officials, e.g. NGOs, Businessmen, etc. Sometimes you see the business leaders, religious gurus, Nobel laureates or other prominent personalities entering into discussion with another country’s unofficial representatives. Since it is unofficial, there are many advantages of holding such talks. Track 3 Diplomacy: People-to-people diplomacy undertaken by individuals and private groups. Normally focused at the grassroots level, this type of diplomacy often involves organizing meetings and conferences, generating media exposure, and political and legal advocacy for marginalized people and communities. Multitrack Diplomacy: A term for operating on several tracks simultaneously, including official and unofficial