India's Bilateral Relations

The knowledge about bilateral relations between India and other nations is important for the Civil Services Examination. This article will provide you with a list of countries and their bilateral relations with India.

Important Points about India’s Foreign Relations

  1. India has a dedicated ministry to handle foreign affairs. It is called the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
  2. India’s External Affairs Minister is S.Jaishankar (31st May 2019 till present).
  3. India is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
  4. According to MEA, 12.6 million non-resident Indians (NRIs) (Those holding an Indian passport but ordinarily residing outside the country) are spread across more than 200 nations.
  5. India has a dedicated examination to recruit candidates in foreign services. The examination is called Indian Foreign Service Exam.
  6. The Indian Foreign Services is headed by the Foreign Secretary. The Indian Foreign Secretary heads all Indian ambassadors and high commissioners.
  7. The Foreign Secretary of India is Harsh V Shringla (29th January 2020 till present).
Candidates can aid their UPSC Mains GS 2 preparation with the help of the following links:

  1. Current Affairs
  2. Topic-Wise GS 2 Questions of IAS Mains
  3. Difference Between Articles
  4. Important Acts in India
  5. Daily News Analysis

India’s Foreign Relations – List of Countries

The table below gives the list of countries with whom India has bilateral ties.

Bilateral Relations of India 

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Yemen 
Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Virgin Islands, British

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States of America

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga Islands

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Turks and Caicos Islands

Tuvalu

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and Grenadines

Samoa

Sao Tome and Principe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovak Republic

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Sudan

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

Qatar
Pakistan

Palau

Palestine

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Oman Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

Niue

North Macedonia

Norway

Macao

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania [Islamic Republic of]

Mauritius

Mexico

Micronesia [Federated States of]

Moldova, Republic of

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Montserrat

Morocco

Mozambique

 Myanmar

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg [Grand Duchy of]

Kazakhstan 

Kenya

Kiribati

Korea (DPR)

Korea (ROK)

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Iceland 

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

taly 

Haiti 

Holy See (Vatican City State)

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Fiji Fiji

FinlandFinland Finland

FranceFrance

Ecuador 

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Estonia

Eswatini

Ethiopia 

Denmark 

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Cape Verde

Cayman Islands

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Congo [Democratic Republic]

Congo [Republic of]

Cook Islands

Costa Rica

Côte d Ivoire [Ivory Coast]

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Bahamas 

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei Darussalam

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Jamaica 

Japan

Jordan 

Get previous years’ International Relations questions from UPSC Mains GS 2 in the linked article.

Notes on India’s Relations with Foreign Nations for UPSC

1. India-China Relations

  • The diplomatic relations between India and China were established on 1st April 1950.
  • China is one of the nine neighbours of India.
  • In 2020, both nations completed their 70 years of diplomatic relations.
  • China’s capital is Beijing.

Download the detailed notes on India-China Relations from the linked article.

2. India-Taiwan Relations

  • India does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan as of now.
  • Taipei is the capital of Taiwan

Download the detailed notes on India-Taiwan relations from the linked article.

3. India-Bhutan Relations

  • With independent India, Bhutan signed a Treaty of Friendship on 8th August 1949.
  • Bhutan’s capital is Thimphu.

Download the detailed notes on India-Bhutan relations from the linked article.

4. India-Afghanistan Relations

  • The relationship shared by the two nations was strengthened with the signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement in October 2011.
  • Afghanistan is one of India’s neighbours. Its capital is Kabul.

Download the detailed notes on India-Afghanistan relations from the linked article.

5. India-Malaysia Relations

  • The diplomatic relations between India and Malaysia were established in 1957.
  • India’s Act East and Look East Policies focus on countries including Malaysia.
  • The strategic partnership between the two nations was established in 2010.
Act East Policy Look East Policy

Download the detailed notes on India-Malaysia relations from the linked article.

6. India-Africa Relations

  • India enjoys friendly relations with Africa.
  • The diplomatic relations between India and South Africa were established on 22nd November 1993; while the strategic partnership between both nations was established in March 1997.

Download the detailed notes on India-Africa relations from the linked article.

7. India-Nepal Relations

  • India and Nepal signed a treaty of peace and friendship in 1950.
  • Nepal is one of India’s neighbours sharing a border with 5 Indian states.

Download the detailed notes on India-Nepal relations from the linked article.

8. India-US Relations

Download the detailed notes on India-US relations from the linked article.

9. India-Pakistan Relations

  • Pakistan is one of the neighbours of India.

Download the detailed notes on India-Pakistan relations from the linked article.

10. India-Sri Lanka Relations

  • Both India and Sri Lanka share historical relations.
  • India is the only neighbour of Sri Lanka.

Download the detailed notes on India-Sri Lanka relations from the linked article.

11. India-Australia Relations

  • India and Australia established a strategic relationship in the year 2009.

Download the detailed notes on India-Australia relations from the linked article.

12. India-Japan Relations

  • The diplomatic relations between India and Japan were established on 28th April 1952.
  • In 2006, both nations established ‘Strategic and Global Partnership.’
  • In 2014, the relations between India and Japan were upgraded to ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’.

Download the detailed notes on India-Japan relations from the linked article.

13. India-Maldives Relations

  • India was the first country to recognize the Maldives after its independence.

Download the detailed notes on India-Maldives relations from the linked article.

14. India-Oman Relations

  • The diplomatic relations between India and Oman were established in 1955.
  • They became strategic partners in 2008.

Download the detailed notes on India-Oman relations from the linked article.

15. India-Myanmar Relations

  • A treaty of friendship between both countries exists since 1951.
  • Earlier known as Burma, it was separated from India in 1937.

Download the detailed notes on India-Myanmar relations from the linked article.

16. India-Bangladesh Relations

  • India and Bangladesh have completed their 50 years of diplomatic relations.
  • The diplomatic relations between both countries were established in the year 1971.

Download the detailed notes on India-Bangladesh relations from the linked article.

17. India-Israel Relations

  • On 17th September 1950, India officially recognized Israel.
  • 1992 was the year when the two nations established diplomatic relations.

Download the detailed notes on India-Israel relations from the linked article.

18. India-France Relations

Download the detailed notes on India-France relations from the linked article.

19. India-Mexico Relations

  • In 1950, both nations entered into a diplomatic relationship.

Download the detailed notes on India-Mexico relations from the linked article.

20. India-Vietnam Relations

  • On 7th January 1992, India established full diplomatic relations with Vietnam.
  • In 2007, the relationship between India and Vietnam was upgraded to a ‘Strategic Partnership.’
  • The two nations, since 2016, share ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.’

Download the detailed notes on India-Vietnam relations from the linked article.

Candidates preparing for IAS Exam must go through the above-mentioned details to prepare for UPSC Mains GS 2. One can also gen an idea of important topics in international relations that are useful for the exam from the linked article.

Check the booklist to cover international relations in the linked article.
Daily News

Frequently Asked Questions on India’s Bilateral Relations

Q1

Q 1. What is meant by Bilateral relations?

Ans. When two sovereign states share political, economic, cultural and commercial ties with each other, it is known as bilateral relations.
Q2

Q 2. Which Ministry is responsible for managing the India’s foreign ties?

Ans. The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India looks after India’s bilateral ties with other countries.

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