"You said talks happen or do not happen…all I would say is that, as I mentioned in my remarks, the host countries, South Africa has invited a large number of guest countries, besides, of course, the BRICS members who would be present there.
"The Prime Minister's schedule in terms of bilateral meetings with those leaders who would be present in South Africa is still being developed. As and when we have details of confirmation of honorable Prime Ministers, different bilateral meetings, we would definitely apprise our media friends of those meetings." -
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on possible bilateral between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
 |
| snap credit ANI/NDTV web |
PM Modi's bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit in Johannesburg is the talk of the town for obvious reasons.
India and China held the 19th round of Corps Commander-level talks on August 13 and August 14 with focus on resolving pending issues at the standoff areas of Depsang and Demchok.
A joint statement called the talks "positive, constructive and in-depth" and the two sides have agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner.
Talks among local commanders of the Indian Army and Chinese PLA for confidence-building measures in eastern Ladakh's Depsang and Demchok continued. Troops from both sides are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement at several places following extensive diplomatic and military talks.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar held talks with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of a meeting of the East Asia Summit in Jakarta last month.
On July 24, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met top Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of a meeting of the BRICS nations in Johannesburg.
Doval conveyed that the situation along the LAC since 2020 has "eroded strategic trust" and the public and political basis of the relationship. India has always emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquility in the border areas so as to remove impediments to normalcy in bilateral ties, the ministry said.
Ahead of the Summit, PM's departure statement said that he is looking forward to holding bilateral meetings with some of the leaders present in Johannesburg.
“BRICS has been pursuing a strong cooperation agenda across various sectors. We value that BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of concern for the entire Global South, including development imperatives and reform of the multilateral system.
This Summit will provide a useful opportunity for BRICS to identify future areas of cooperation and review institutional development,” PM Modi said in a statement.
Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander, which is set to attempt a landing on Moon, established communication with the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter
'Welcome buddy!' Chandrayaan-2 orbiter welcomes Vikram lander in Moon's orbit
The Chandrayaan-3 lander, which is set for 'descending' on to the surface of the Moon, established contact with the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter this afternoon (Aug 21).
The lander and the orbiter established a 'two-way communication' which will enable the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to more easily maintain contact with the lander, the space agency said.
"‘Welcome, buddy!’
Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM.
Two-way communication between the two is established.
MOX has now more routes to reach the LM," ISRO tweeted.
Chandrayaan-3, launched on July 14, is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. The mission life of the lander and rover is one lunar day or 14 earth days.
Referring to the planned touchdown, former Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair kept his fingers crossed and said it's a very complex manoeuvre and one has to be cautious as all systems have to work in unison for its success.
Nair, who headed the space agency when Chandrayaan-1 mission was launched in 2008, said a successful landing would herald a big beginning for Isro's next phase of planetary exploration. (India Today)
"Data we may collect from the (lunar) surface will be useful in identifying some minerals...rare minerals, if at all, helium-3 and so on. Also, try to have some investigations as to what type of setup we can have near the lunar South Pole either for exploration or human presence. It (successful soft-landing) is going to be a big beginning for ISRO's next phase of planetary exploration".
Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. IST.
Thanks for the wishes and positivity!
Let’s continue experiencing the journey together
as the action unfolds LIVE at:
ISRO Website https://isro.gov.in
YouTube https://youtube.com/watch?v=DLA_64yz8Ss
Facebook https://facebook.com/ISRO
and DD National TV
from 17:27 Hrs. IST on Aug 23, 2023. ISRO said on X.
No comments:
Post a Comment