Diplomacy

Talks with Germany to build India’s strength

- by India Writes Network

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s six-day four nations visit is a major initiative to build a new architecture in the backdrop of a serious challenge to the crumbling post World War II global order.
The rapid rise of China and reneging of the US from its international and multilateral commitments, along with Washington’s retreat into bilateralism under US President Donald Trump’s administration, has thrown up serious challenges for world leaders.
After the one hour long talks under the framework of India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations on May 30, global terrorism, climate change, role of free trade, importance of investment protection and bilateral cooperation in skill development, tapping of solar energy and urban development were given special focus.
“Pace of development of our relations is fast, direction positive and destination clear. Germany will always find India as powerful, prepared and capable partner,” Mr Modi said at a joint press interaction with Chancellor Merkel.
Following talks between the delegations of two countries led by Modi and Merkel respectively, the two sides also signed 12 MOUs/ agreements in areas of cyber policy, development initiatives, sustainable urban development, continued development of cluster managers and skill development, digitalization, railway security and promoting vocational training.

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India to Pakistan: Peace or peace talks, decide….

- by India Writes Network

A day after an international court stayed the execution of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer accused of spying, India signalled its wariness with Pakistan by stressing that asking for peace talks are an excuse for avoiding real peace and reflect a position that “may be hypocritical.”
“When anyone asks for peace talks, it does not necessarily mean that that country is asking for peace. And one has to measure that difference very carefully,” Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar said in the Indian capital New Delhi after launching a pioneering journal on international affairs, entitled “India and World” on May 19.
“Do you want peace or do you want peace talks as an excuse for a position that may be hypocritical? And our reaction will be based on the larger assessment of what you mean,” said the minister, without naming Pakistan. Published by India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and edited by Manish Chand, a well-known foreign affairs analyst and author of “Journeys Across Continents: A New India on the Global Stage,” India and World seeks to present India’s viewpoints on pressing international issues and debates amid shifting global equations and a mutating world order. The birth of a new publication on global affairs is a cause for celebrations at a time when India’s engagement with the world is steadily expanding, said Mr Akbar.

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Triumph of Justice: India rejoices over ICJ’s stay of Jadhav’s execution

- by India Writes Network

In a diplomatic triumph and victory of justice over duplicity, the International Court of Justice has stayed the execution of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian naval officer accused of espionage by Pakistan, and upheld India’s right to consular access to him. The judge’s verdict was unambiguous: “Pakistan should not executive Jadhav till proceedings are on in this court.”
The ICJ’s verdict triggered rejoicing in India, with the external affairs ministry’s spokesperson Gopal Bagley underlining that the provisional relief provided by the ICJ is the first step in ensuring justice to Jadhav. “We hope it will help remedy egregious violations of Jadhav’s rights & violations of international convention by Pakistan,” said Mr Bagley.
“We hope concerned authorities in Pakistan have heard, ICJ said that this order creates legally binding international obligation,” he said.
The verdict came as a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government had made it clear that it will do everything possible to save Mr Jadhav from the gallows and deceitful snare of Pakistan. “I assure the nation that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi we will leave no stone unturned to save Kulbhushan Jadhav,” said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Ms Swaraj stressed that the order comes as “a great relief to the family of Kulbhushan Jadhav and people of India.”

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South Asia Satellite takes off: Linking region via space

- by Shweta Chand

In a defining step to promote regional solidarity and cooperation, India has launched the South Asia Satellite, a pioneering initiative that will touch and transform the lives of people of seven countries in the region.
The South Asia Satellite, a dream that was birthed less than three years ago and a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was successfully launched today by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from Sriharikota on May 5.
The leaders of seven South Asian countries, including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Maldives President Abdulla Yameen, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, and Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena joined India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an unprecedented video-conference held to mark the launch.
The launch of South Asia Satellite marks the fulfilment of India’s commitment and also the beginning of the journey to build the most advanced frontier of our partnership, said Mr Modi at this historic occasion. “With its position high in the sky, this symbol of South Asian cooperation would meet the aspirations of economic progress of more than one-and-a-half billion people in our region. And, extend our close links into Outer Space,” he said.
The South Asia Satellite demonstrated that “our collective choices for our citizens will bring us together for cooperation, not conflict; development, not destruction; and prosperity not poverty,” he said.

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US NSA’s visit to South Asia: Implications for India

- by India Writes Network

The recent visit of the newly appointed US National Security Adviser, General McMaster, to South Asia was the first high-level visit by a senior figure in the Trump administration to the region. The Trump administration’s regional priorities has been reflected in the pattern of high-level visits in recent weeks: Vice President Pence has visited South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Australia; US Defence Secretary, having visited Japan and South Korea, is currently visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel, Egypt and Djibouti whilst Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, having visited Japan, South Korea and China, went on to visit Western Europe and Russia.
Following the meeting between him and the Army Chief, the Pakistan military’s press release, in an apparent reference to his Kabul interview, stated, “Pakistan itself a victim of state sponsored terrorism, strongly rejects allegations of employing proxies from its soil. US NSA acknowledged Pakistan Army’s efforts in eliminating terrorism and infrastructure, assuring US support to bring peace and stability in the region and globally.” The Pakistan Army’s officially released video clip of the meeting shows a tense atmosphere at this meeting.

The shifting geopolitics in Southwest Asia could be behind the terse public messaging on the part of the Pakistan military. It could also be their calculation that an increased number of US troops in Afghanistan would imply greater US dependence on the supply routes via Pakistan; the tense relations with Russia might also mean increased difficulty in using the alternate northern supply route. The use of the largest non-nuclear bomb in the adjacent Nangarhar province against the ‘Wilayet-e-Khorasan’ terrorists was a signal not just to Russia but also to Pakistan because of their hostility to the latter. The Congressional requests for funding for Pakistan by the present administration have not shown any reduction from the previous years although the president has the authority to withhold funding if Pakistan does not cooperate in cracking down on terrorists inimical to US operations in Afghanistan.

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Turkey President Erdogan in India: What’s on agenda?

- by Manish Chand

Buoyed by a national referendum that has made him the most powerful leader of Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has touched down in India on an important visit that seeks to reset Ankara’s relations with the world’s most populous democracy. This is Mr Erdogan’s first foreign visit after winning the national referendum by a thin margin, and indicates the importance Turkey is placing on scaling up relations with India, which have been shadowed by Ankara’s unhelpful positions on Kashmir and its close ties with Islamabad.
Turkey’s all-powerful leader will be in India for a little over twenty-four hours, but this brief visit is expected to have a transformative impact on New Delhi-Ankara relations. The agenda for talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Turkish leader is multi-layered and diverse, including elevating economic and strategic relations.
For New Delhi, getting Ankara’s support for its drive to secure membership of the elite 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group will top the agenda. Turkey, which has not given unqualified support to India, has insisted on “criteria-based approach”, echoing Beijing’s stance on common criteria for all the non-NPT signatories who aspire to join the elite nuclear club.
Turkey’s stand on India’s membership of the NSG is not the only issue that has riled India. It extends to Turkey’s hostile stand on the Kashmir issue.
Moving beyond problematical issues, India and Turkey are expected to focus on scaling up their economic partnership. Given the prowess of Turkish companies in sectors like infrastructure and construction, India will be expecting Turkey’s support for the Make in India project.

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Ansari Abroad: Exposing double-speak on terror and changing narrative of India

- by Manish Chand

Exposing duplicity on terrorism, articulating multiple images of India, extolling seven decades of Indian democracy and the importance of building bridges with Central Europe and Eurasia. It’s a challenge to compress these weighty themes in a few minutes, but that’s precisely what Vice-President Hamid Ansari did in a mid-air interaction with journalists while on his way back from a five-day trip to Armenia and Poland.
Mr Ansari, a former diplomat and an erudite scholar, is not the kind to resort to fiery rhetoric, but he was full of eloquent indignation at the continuing duplicity of some states who hide behind technicalities on the pressing issue of terrorism, which he rightly described as “a universal epidemic.”
Intensifying counter-terror cooperation figured prominently in his discussions with the top leadership of Poland and Armenia. India has been relentlessly pushing for Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism for over two decades, but unfortunately some countries have chosen quibbles and sophistry to block its passage in the UN, which has stymied the fight against global terrorism. CCIT has a special resonance for Mr Ansari as it was during his tenure as India’s Permanent Representative of India to United Nations in New York in 1994 that India had launched a global outreach for CCIT. Till this day, the India-backed CCIT is embroiled in semantic sophistry and cold-blooded calculations by some countries due to their vested interests. Mr Ansari’s spirited response to a question on adopting the CCIT was, therefore, natural. Noting that every country is facing the problem of terrorism in a lesser or greater degree and understands the problem, Mr Ansari exposed sophistry practiced by some states by hiding behind technical niceties, a veiled reference to OIC nations which have been in the forefront of stalling the CCIT.
In the days he spent in Poland and Armenia, the vice-president also observed multiple images of India that permeated the perception of the country among people of these countries. In both Armenian capital Yerevan and Polish capital Warsaw, one was struck by the popularity of Indian films and food. The people one spoke to had their own story to tell, while some were stuck with clichés and stereotypes.

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