Oman
At the India-Oman Strategic Consultative Group’s meeting on Thursday, representatives of the two sides agreed to expand collaboration on several issues, including trade and investment, defence, space, science and technology, health, and food security. They also agreed to mutually work towards finalising Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in these fields. At the meet, India also vowed to help Oman meet its domestic demand for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Indian delegation comprised of Sanjay Bhattacharya, the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs. On the other hand, the Omani side was represented by Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali al-Harthy, the Under Secretary for Diplomatic Affairs in the Omani Foreign Ministry, who was received by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Thursday’s meeting was the first high-level visit of Omani delegation to India since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, according to a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides have continued to remain “in close touch” and have “sustained momentum for further consolidation of their strategic friendship.” In fact, during the pandemic, India has also facilitated the export of food and medications to the Arab country on multiple occasions.
Afghanistan
On Wednesday, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited Kabul to meet with his Afghani counterpart, Hamdullah Mohib, and President Ashraf Ghani. According to a statement by the Office of the National Security Council of Afghanistan, the prime focus of the meet was to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries on the ongoing peace process and counter-terrorism in the region. Consequently, the leaders agreed to work towards “synchronising” their efforts towards achieving this aim. Celebrating the discussion, Ghani’s spokesperson said, “The President also stressed that India and Afghanistan’s joint endeavours in collaboration with the NATO and the US could achieve more success in the fight against the terrorism.”
During his visit, he also met with the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah. Following their meeting, Abdullah said, “We exchanged views on the Peace Process, the beginning of 2nd round of [Intra-Afghan] talks, and the role of India in establishing peace in Afghanistan.”
Doval’s visit comes as the second round of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government restarted in Doha. For India, who has repeatedly expressed its commitment to an “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process”, the success of these talks is crucial.
Turkmenistan
Turning to its Central Asian neighbours, on Wednesday, Indian Secretary (West) of the Ministry of External Affairs Vijay Swarup met with Vepa Hajiyev, Turkmenistan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. These were the fourth round of Foreign Office Consultations conducted between the two sides.
During the discussion, the representatives agreed to bolster bilateral collaboration in the United Nations and other multilateral forums. They also conducted an extensive review of cooperation on several aspects of mutual importance, including defence, culture, education, and consular cooperation.
Vietnam
On Tuesday, Indian Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar held a “security dialogue” with the Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh. During the discussion, the leaders committed to bolstering collaboration and cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces under the framework of their “comprehensive strategic partnership.” According to a statement by the Indian Defence Ministry, Kumar and Vinh also celebrated the “ongoing defence cooperation” between the two sides, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
India and Vietnam have been looking to bolster bilateral cooperation, specifically in the areas of defence and security. In pursuance of this, just last month, the two countries also conducted a two-day passage exercise (PASSEX) in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) to enhance maritime security cooperation.
Arab League
On the same day, three senior Indian officials, along with representatives of the Arab League, joined a virtual meeting of the Arab-India Cooperation Forum. During the meeting, they agreed to bolster trade and investment, and further enhance collaboration on combating terrorism, securing the freedom of navigation, and preserving maritime security. They spoke of the need to establish and strengthen the mechanisms to pursue these aims.
According to a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the officials spoke about the two sides’ historic, cultural and commercial ties that have bound them together. Consequently, they discussed the importance of working together on several regional issues, particularly referring to the Palestine conflict and the crises in Syria, Libya, and Yemen. Moreover, the leaders also agreed to continue collaborating in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and to further their cooperation “in the fields of diagnostics and treatment.”
Indian Diplomacy: Weekly Round-Up (8-15 January, 2021)
This week, #Indian authorities convened several meetings with officials from #Oman, #Vietnam, and #Afghanistan
January 15, 2021
Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. SOURCE: AFP