Russia-India-China (RIC)
The RIC Foreign Ministers meeting is scheduled to be conducted on Friday in a virtual format. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will chair the meeting, which will see the participation of his Chinese and Russian counterparts Wang Yi and Sergey Lavrov.
India has been the chair of the meeting since September 2020 and will pass the seat on to China after Friday’s meeting.
According to a release published by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar is likely to speak of the need to strengthen RIC’s cooperation. He is also likely to bring up the Afghan humanitarian crisis and other issues of trilateral and international concern.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “During the upcoming meeting, China expects to boost communications, strengthen mutual trust and reach a consensus with Russia and India, sending a positive signal to the world.”
Estonia
On Thursday, the 11th round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Estonia were conducted in Tallinn. The two countries were represented by Reenat Sandhu, the Secretary (West) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and Rein Tammsaar, the Under Secretary for Political Affairs in the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
During the meet, the two sides celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their bilateral relations. They also acknowledged their continued coordination as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Sandhu and Tammasar also discussed ongoing and prospective coordination between the two countries on issues such as cyber security, digitalisation, data protection, e-governance, health technology, research and innovation, education and startup, trade and investment, and culture, films, and tourism.
Finally, they discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the Afghan humanitarian crisis, unrest in the Indo-Pacific, and the flourishing India-European Union partnership.
This meeting comes amid growing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Estonia was one of the first countries to recognise the Indian vaccine certificate and both Indian vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin. Likewise, India also recently decided to set up a diplomatic mission in Estonia, with Ajaneesh Kumar being appointed the Ambassador earlier this month.
United Kingdom (UK)
India and the UK convened their first Joint Working Group on Cyber Deterrence. Atul Malhari Gotsurve, the Joint Secretary (Cyber Diplomacy) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and Will Middleton, the Cyber Director of the British Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, led their respective delegations during the virtual meet.
According to a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the meeting focussed on the need to enhance cyber deterrence. The officials agreed to work closely and participate in regular meetings under the India-UK Framework for the Cyber Relationship, which was signed in 2018.
ASEM Summit
On the same day, the 13th ASEM two-day Summit was held in a virtual format with the theme of “Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth.” The Indian delegation was led by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. India has been a member of the group since 2008.
The ASEM Summit sees the participation of 51 member states, along with representatives of ASEAN and the European Union. This platform was set up to allow Asian and European countries to exchange information on regional and global issues. The group is centred around three pillars of coordination: political; economic and financial; and social, cultural, and educational. The participating countries account for 65% of the global GDP, 60% of the global population, 75% of global tourism, and 55% of global trade. The summit place twice a year, with the hosting country alternating between a European and Asian member. The current meet will mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of ASEM and is being hosted by Cambodia.
Following the opening ceremony, Naidu participated in the First Plenary Session and the Retreat Session of the Summit. According to a release by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the issues that India intended to focus on included “reformed multilateralism, fight against pandemic and post-pandemic recovery, mitigating global climate change, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), [and] maritime safety and security.”
Speaking at the first Plenary Session, Naidu spoke of the several economic, technological, and security challenges faced by the world. In this regard, he highlighted the collapsing structure of the current form of multilateralism.
However, he said that India is and remains committed to the need to reform multilateralism. Naidu asserted that the dynamic challenges faced cannot be deterred by a system that was created to combat outdated issues. He said that this was the reason behind “the lack of a coordinated global response” during the pandemic, which highlighted the shortcomings of the existing system. To support this, he cited the example of inequitable vaccine distribution and failing supply chains.
He also called for cooperation to deter violence and instability and highlighted the economic impact of such unrest. He said that promoting economic activity needed to be paired with livelihood security, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Argentina
India and Argentina participated in the sixth round of their foreign office consultations on Wednesday. The Indian delegation was led by Riva Ganguly Das, the Secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs. Meanwhile, Argentina was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Pablo Tettamanti.
During the discussion, the two sides conducted an extensive review of the progress made in their multifaceted relations since the elevation of their diplomatic ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2019. They concurred that there has been an increase in collaboration on several fronts including defence, space, nuclear energy, minerals, energy (conventional and renewable), oil & gas (conventional as well as shale), health and pharma, agriculture, Ayurveda, development cooperation, and science and technology.
In addition, the two sides’ representatives agreed to strengthen their partnership in trade and investment, market access, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and information technology. They further celebrated their cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed to continue deepening relations.
Finland
The 11th round of the India-Finland Foreign Office consultations was held on Tuesday in Helsinki. Reenat Sandhu, the Secretary (West) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and Matti Anttonen, the Permanent Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led their respective delegations.
According to a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the areas in which the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation included “trade and investment, S&T, education, digitization, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, innovation, sustainable development, circular economy and renewable energy.” Moreover, they also agreed to further deepen their cooperation in areas like vocational education, space, startups, health, and pharmaceuticals.
Officials highlighted the importance of bilateral economic cooperation, pointing to the presence of over 100 Finnish companies in India and 30 Indian companies in Finland. India also welcomed Finnish investments in its national campaigns, such as the Make in India and Digital India initiatives.
In addition, the two sides discussed the recent COP26 Summit, the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccines, and the 2030 SDG Agenda. They also discussed regional and global issues of mutual concern such as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and unrest in the Indo-Pacific. They also asserted the importance of India’s partnership with the European Union, along with India’s cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic.
This meeting is a follow up to the decisions made during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with his Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin. The two leaders participated in a virtual summit in March and agreed to defend the principles of multilateralism and protect multilateralism, specifically in the United Nations. The summit also resulted in the establishment of an Indo-Finnish Digital Partnership.
Indian Diplomacy Round-Up: 20-26 November, 2021
This week, Indian authorities convened several meetings with officials from Finland, Estonia, and Argentina, among others.
November 26, 2021
Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu IMAGE SOURCE: THE NEWS NOW