International Relations

The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is an intergovernmental organization located in Luxembourg City, which operates under public international law for all eurozone Member States having ratified a special ESM intergovernmental treaty.

It was established on 27 September 2012 as a permanent firewall for the eurozone, to safeguard and provide instant access to financial assistance programmes for member states of the eurozone in financial difficulty, with a maximum lending capacity of 500 billion.

The Fortaleza Declaration is related to the affairs of the BRICS group of countries.

BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The Fortaleza Declaration was signed during the Sixth BRICS Summit held in Fortaleza, Brazil, in July 2014.

Statement 1 is Incorrect: Bangladesh is not a member of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) initiative. Statement 2 is Correct: Cambodia is one of the five ASEAN members that founded the MGC along with India. Statement 3 is Incorrect: China is not a participant in the MGC, although the Mekong River originates in the Tibetan Plateau. Statement 4 is Correct: Myanmar is a member country of the MGC, representing the Mekong basin region. Statement 5 is Correct: Thailand is a member country of the MGC and was part of its launch in 2000.

The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) is an initiative by six countries: India and five ASEAN countries, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It was launched in 2000 at Vientiane, Laos, to facilitate closer contacts among people inhabiting these two major river basins. Since the question asks for those who are not participants, Bangladesh (1) and China (3) are the correct answers.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is a visionary agenda for the empowerment of women.

It's a landmark document adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995.

Statement 1 is Correct: China is recognized as a Nuclear Weapon State (NWS) under the NPT, as it had manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device prior to January 1, 1967.

Statement 2 is Correct: France is recognized as a Nuclear Weapon State (NWS) under the NPT.

Statement 3 is Incorrect: India is not a signatory to the NPT and is not recognized as a Nuclear Weapon State under the treaty, despite possessing nuclear weapons.

Statement 4 is Incorrect: Israel has never signed the NPT and is not recognized as a Nuclear Weapon State under the treaty.

Statement 5 is Incorrect: Pakistan is not a signatory to the NPT and is not recognized as a Nuclear Weapon State under the treaty.

Under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), only five states are recognized as Nuclear Weapon States: the United States, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), the United Kingdom, France, and China. These five states also happen to be the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (P5).

Statement 1 is incorrect. IOR-ARC is a regional cooperation initiative of the Indian Ocean Rim countries. It was established in Mauritius in March 1997 with the aim of promoting economic and technical cooperation. IOR-ARC is the only pan-Indian ocean grouping. It brings together countries from three continents having different sizes, economic strengths, and a wide diversity of languages, cultures. Statement 2 is incorrect. It aims to create a platform for trade, socio-economic and cultural cooperation in the Indian Ocean rim area. The Indian Ocean Rim is rich in strategic and precious minerals, metals and other natural resources, marine resources and energy, all of which can be sourced from Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), continental shelves and the deep seabed.

The correct answer is the Middle East.

The Golan Heights is a hilly, 1,200 sq-km rocky plateau in south-western Syria in the Middle East region overlooking Lebanon, Syria, and the Jordan Valley.


The Golan was Syrian territory until 1967 when Israel occupied it in the closing stages of the Six-Day War.

Statement 1 is incorrect: India is not a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a regional forum aimed at promoting economic integration and trade among Pacific Rim countries.

Statement 2 is incorrect: India is not a member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), though it is an important dialogue partner and participates in ASEAN-led forums under its Act East Policy.

Statement 3 is correct: India is a member of the East Asia Summit (EAS), a strategic forum of ASEAN members and key regional partners, which India joined in 2005.

Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights.

The organization says it has more than seven million members and supporters around the world . The stated mission of the organization is to campaign for a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments.

The terms 'Agreement on Agriculture', 'Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures', and 'Peace Clause' all appear in the context of the affairs of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Agreement on Agriculture: This agreement regulates trade in agricultural products among WTO member countries. It aims to promote fair trade practices and reduce distortions caused by subsidies and other measures.

Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement): This agreement sets out rules for countries to ensure the safety and quality of food, animals, and plants traded internationally. It helps to prevent the spread of pests and diseases while minimizing unnecessary barriers to trade.

Peace Clause: This provision within the Agreement on Agriculture provides some flexibility for developing countries regarding their agricultural subsidy programs. It allows them to offer certain subsidies to their farmers without facing challenges from other WTO members.

Statement 1 is Correct: Denmark is one of the eight member states of the Arctic Council, representing the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Statement 2 is Incorrect: Japan is not a member state; it holds observer status within the Arctic Council.

Statement 3 is Correct: The Russian Federation is a member state of the Arctic Council as it is one of the eight nations with sovereignty over lands within the Arctic Circle.

Statement 4 is Incorrect: The United Kingdom is an observer state, not a member state of the Arctic Council.

Statement 5 is Correct: The United States of America is a member state of the Arctic Council due to its territory in Alaska.

The Arctic Council consists of eight member states: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States.

* The Arab Spring uprisings originally started in Tunisia.

* In December 2010, a young Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest of police harassment. This act of desperation sparked widespread demonstrations throughout Tunisia, demanding an end to corruption, unemployment, and political repression.

* The success of the Tunisian revolution, which eventually led to the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, inspired similar protests across the Arab world, becoming known as the Arab Spring.