Japan
India and Japan convened for the 5th Joint Meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum on Thursday for a meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Japanese Ambassador to India Suzuki Satoshi. The two sides celebrated the success of the forum—which was established in 2017—in linking India’s Act East Policy with Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Policy.
According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, during the meeting, the two sides conducted an extensive review of several bilateral projects in North East India, specifically in areas including “connectivity, hydropower, sustainable development, harnessing of water resources, and skill development.” They also positively discussed the prospect of further cooperation in areas such as healthcare, agro-industries, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
Bangladesh
On Thursday, the 2nd India-Bangladesh Consular Dialogue—a bilateral platform set up in 2017 to enhance collaboration on issues such as visas, mutual legal assistance and consular access—was conducted in New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Sanjay Bhattacharyya, the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, and Mashfee Binte Shams, the Secretary (East) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented the Bangladeshi side.
Following the meeting, a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that several issues, including consular access, the release of detainees and finalisation of Standard Operating Procedures, were successfully discussed by the two sides. Both India and Bangladesh further expressed their commitment to a “citizen-centric consular mechanism”.
The two countries are also set to convene for the India-Bangladesh Foreign Office Consultations on Friday. Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Bangladeshi Ambassador to India Masud Bin Momen will be conducting the discussions. According to a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the two are scheduled to discuss a wide range of issues, including “cooperation in the wake of Covid-19, border management and security, trade & investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership and regional & multilateral issues.” Both these meetings come as the two countries celebrate 50 years of their diplomatic relations.
United Arab Emirate (UAE)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Emirati Armed Forces. During the conversation, as per an official statement by the Indian government, the two discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the region. Further, they celebrated the two sides’ collaboration during the pandemic and expressed their commitment to continuing to collaborate on this matter, specifically for the welfare of Indian ex-pats in UAE.
International Energy Agency
As a result of the meeting between the Indian Power Secretary Sanjiv Nandan Sahai and the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Wednesday, the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). According to a statement by the Indian Power Ministry, “The Framework for Strategic Partnership between the IEA members and the Government of India was signed on 27th January 2021 to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation & enhance global energy security, stability and sustainability.” However, the exact content of the partnership is yet to be determined by India and the members of the IEA.
This MoU will enhance the two sides’ cooperation, furthering exchange on information and knowledge. It will also bring India one step closer towards becoming a full member of the IAEA by gradually increasing the “benefits and responsibilities” for India.
The IEA is a 30-member grouping which was established in 1974 to “help co-ordinate a collective response to major disruptions in the supply of oil.”
Unites States (US)
On Wednesday, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval spoke with his recently appointed American counterpart Jake Sullivan. As per a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs, during the telephonic conversation, Doval “underscored that as leading democracies, with an abiding faith in an open and inclusive world order, India and the U.S. were uniquely positioned to work closely on regional and international issues including combating the scourge of terrorism, maritime security, cybersecurity and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”
Moreover, the two expressed their commitment to working closely on “bilateral agendas” and “common global challenges”. They also vowed to “expand the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership” during the new American administration.
On the same day, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation with the US Secretary of Defence, General Lloyd Austin. According to a release by the Indian Ministry of Defence, the two spoke of “bilateral, regional and global issues” and reiterated their commitment to bolstering the “multifaceted India-US defence cooperation and strategic partnership.” This comes at a time when India and the US see increasing collaboration on the defence front, with India designated as a “Major Defence Partner” of the US since 2016.
Both these conversations are the first high-level interactions between the Indian government and the newly appointed Biden-led administration, indicating that Biden will continue to collaborate with the Indian government, specifically on issues relating to defence and security in the Indo-Pacific.
United Kingdom (UK)
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, during a telephonic conversation with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday, discussed the developments and progress made on the issues that had been raised during Raab’s visit to India in December, during which the two discussed the need to expand bilateral cooperation on several issues, including terrorism, maritime security and privacy. They further discussed the main elements of a ten-year UK-India roadmap to “deliver a step-change in ambition” for the two countries’ bilateral relationship.
On Wednesday, Raab and Jaishankar discussed the significance of expediting bilateral discussions on a trade deal and an agreement on migration and mobility, which would allow unhindered movement of professionals and students. Following the conversation, Jaishankar said that the Indian side was “encouraged by the progress of the issues that we discussed in December.”
This conversation occurred shortly after the 14th meeting of the India-United Kingdom Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, which met virtually on January 21 and 22. The Indian side was represented by Mahaveer Singhvi, the Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism in the Ministry of External Affairs, while Tom Hurd, the Director-General of the Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism represented the British Side.
According to a statement released by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides “strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.” They further expressed the need to bolster cooperation on this front, specifically in South Asia, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora, including the United Nations and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The statement added, “The two sides reviewed the threats posed by UN-proscribed terrorists and terrorist entities and exchanged views on proscription of terrorist individuals and entities as a tool to combat terrorism.” Further, they called upon other countries to “take immediate and irreversible actions” to ensure that their territories are not used as breeding grounds for terrorist activities.
China
On Sunday, following 16 hours of discussion during the 9th Round of India-China Military Commander-Level talks, the two countries released a joint statement in which they said that the discussion was “positive, practical and constructive.” Sunday’s meeting was guided by the five-point plan for disengagement, which was agreed upon by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in September last year.
As a result of the discussion, both India and China agreed to “enhance mutual trust and understanding” and “push for an early disengagement of the frontline troops.” Moreover, in furtherance of the countries leaders’ “dialogue and negotiation,” along with the decision to expedited de-escalation during the 10th round of the Corps Commander Level Meeting, they expressed their commitment to “ensuring the restraint of the frontline troops, stabilise and control the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the China-India border, and jointly maintain peace and tranquillity.”
While both countries celebrated the talks’ “success”, on Monday, Indian and Chinese troops broke into a physical brawl at the Naku La region in Sikkim. However, the Indian army played down the incident, referring to it as a “minor face-off” that had already been resolved. Meanwhile, the Chinese side urged both sides to refrain from escalating tensions in the region. Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “We hope both sides will take proper actions to manage their differences and take concrete actions to safeguard peace and stability along the border.”
Indian Diplomacy: Weekly Round-Up (23-29 January, 2021)
This week, Indian authorities convened several meetings with officials from the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, amongst others.
January 29, 2021
SOURCE: ONE INDIA