Miscellanous Quiz: International Relations |29 Mar, 2021

The Russian proposal entitled “Countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes” was recently put forth in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

· India voted in favour of a cybercrime resolution led by Russia in a committee of the United Nations General Assembly.

· The resolution seeks to set up new cyber norms considered as counter alternative to the US backed Budapest Accord.

Source: The Hindu

Strategic Concepts lay down the Alliance’s core tasks and principles, its values, the evolving security environment and the Alliance’s strategic objectives for the next decade.

The 2010 Strategic Concept defines NATO’s cores tasks as: collective defense, crisis-management and cooperative security.

Source: Indian Express

Agreements signed by India and USA.

· India had signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in 2002 and the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016.

· The last one that remained was the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA). India objected to signing BECA earlier. But in October 2020 India signed the BECA with the USA.

Source: The Hindu

The European Union is based on the rule of law. This means that every action taken by the EU is founded on treaties that have been approved voluntarily and democratically by all EU member countries. A treaty is a binding agreement between EU member countries. It sets out EU objectives, rules for EU institutions, how decisions are made and the relationship between the EU and its member countries. The main treaties are:

Treaty of Lisbon: Signed on 13 December 2007, to make the EU more democratic, more efficient and better able to address global problems, such as climate change, with one voice.

Treaty of Nice: Signed on 26 February 2001, to reform the institutions so that the EU could function efficiently after reaching 25 member countries.

Treaty of Amsterdam: Signed on 2 October 1997, to reform the EU institutions in preparation for the arrival of future member countries.

Source: ForumIAS

The BASIC group was formed as the result of an agreement signed by the four countries on November 28, 2009.

· They are a bloc of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.

· The main objective of the BASIC group is to have a broadly common position on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and raising the massive funds that are needed to fight climate change.

Source: ForumIAS

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization for regional economic integration. It has international legal personality and is established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union.

· The EAEU provides for free movement of goods, services, capital and labor, pursues coordinated, harmonized and single policy in the sectors determined by the Treaty and international agreements within the Union.

· The Member-States of the Eurasian Economic Union are the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation.

· The Union is being created to comprehensively upgrade, raise the competitiveness of and cooperation between the national economies, and to promote stable development in order to raise the living standards of the nations of the Member-States.

Source: ForumIAS

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in Baghdad, Iraq, with the signing of an agreement in September 1960 by five countries namely Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. They were to become the Founder Members of the Organization.

· OPEC is a permanent, intergovernmental organization.

· The current OPEC members are the following: Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, and the Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia (the de facto leader), the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Ecuador, Indonesia and Qatar are former members.

· OPEC’s objective is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, in order to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers; an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on capital to those investing in the industry.

· OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization.

Source: OPEC

Both India and Pakistan have exchanged their list of nuclear installations under the bilateral agreement.

· The list was handed over in accordance with Article-II of the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between Pakistan and India, signed on December 31, 1988, the Foreign Office (FO).

· The agreement was entered into force on January 27, 1991, provides, inter alia, that the two countries inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on the first of January of every calendar year.

Source: ForumIAS

Following the killing of Iranian military and intelligence commander Major General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in a drone attack carried out by the United States, the Iranian government registered its protest with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.

· Switzerland represents the interests of the US in Iran. This is because the US itself does not have an embassy there. Iran’s interests in the United States, on the other hand, are represented by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington.

· In an arrangement such as this, Switzerland is the “Protecting Power” of the United States’ interests in Iran. The instrument of Protecting Powers is provided for under the 1961 and 1963 Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations.

· “If diplomatic relations are broken off between two States, or if a mission is permanently or temporarily recalled… the sending State may entrust the protection of its interests and those of its nationals to a third State acceptable to the receiving State,” the 1961 Vienna Convention states.

· And the 1963 Convention reiterates: “A sending State may with the prior consent of a receiving State, and at the request of a third State not represented in the receiving State, undertake the temporary protection of the interests of the third State and of its nationals.”

Source: Indian Express

The East Asia Summit is a unique Leaders-led forum of 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific region formed to further the objectives of regional peace, security and prosperity.

· It has evolved as a forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation on political, security and economic issues of common regional concern and plays an important role in the regional architecture.

· Established in 2005, EAS allows the principal players in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss issues of common interest and concern, in an open and transparent manner, at the highest level.

· The membership of EAS consists of ten ASEAN Member States (i.e. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam), Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and the USA.

· EAS is an initiative of ASEAN and is based on the premise of the centrality of ASEAN.

· There are six priority areas of regional cooperation within the framework of the EAS. These are – Environment and Energy, Education, Finance, Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases, Natural Disaster Management, and ASEAN Connectivity.

· India endorses regional collaboration in all six priority areas.

Source: ForumIAS