Kuwait
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah concluded his two-day visit to New Delhi on Thursday. During the visit, he met with Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, wherein the two discussed the India-Kuwait bilateral relationship and agreed to “further dynamism in the traditional and friendly ties between the two countries.”
Following the discussion, a Joint Statement on the establishment of a Joint Ministerial Commission at the level of Foreign Ministers was also issued. This set up a mechanism to smoothen bilateral engagements between the two sides’ institutions, such as their Foreign Offices and Joint Working Groups. Moreover, they agreed to enhance cooperation through the Joint Working Groups on hydrocarbons, manpower and mobility, and healthcare, along with establishing new groups on trade and investments, defence, and security.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah also expressed his gratitude to the Indian side for delivering 200,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine in February. Likewise, Indian leader S. Jaishankar thanked the Kuwaiti government for its support to the Indian community before and through the pandemic. In this regard, the two expressed their desire to resume travel between the two countries at the earliest and to continue to cooperate in the fight against the pandemic. Lastly, they agreed to use bilateral and multilateral fora to further issues of mutual interest.
Jordan
The first India-Jordan Joint Working Group, which was established under the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Manpower, was successfully conducted through a virtual format. At the meet, the Indian side was represented by Abbagani Ramu, Joint Secretary (OIA-I), Ministry of External Affairs. Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary-General for Operations Affairs, Ministry of Labour Abdullah al Jbour led the delegation from Jordan.
An Indian press release from Monday said that the two sides discussed “the entire gamut of labour and manpower cooperation related issues”. They also agreed to set up a formal mechanism to “promote and protect the rights of the workers” and facilitate the movement of labour between the countries. For this, they agreed to establish a committee which will comprise of representatives from Jordan’s Ministry of Labour and the Indian embassy at Jordan. In this regard, the representatives from Jordan expressed “positive sentiments” towards the Indian workforce and their role in the region’s development.
Finland
On March 16, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a virtual summit alongside his Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin. According to a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, during the meet, the two leaders conducted a review of “the entire spectrum of [their] bilateral relationship”. They further discussed other “regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.” This virtual summit aimed to provide a blueprint for the “future expansion and diversification of India-Finland Partnership.”
The Indian side’s statement read, “Both leaders noted that the close relations between India and Finland were based on shared values of democracy, rule of law, equality, freedom of speech, and respect for human rights. They reaffirmed their strong commitment to work for multilateralism, a rules-based international order, sustainable development and combating climate change.” The two leaders agreed to use multilateral fora, such as the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations, to further this aim. Moreover, both leaders said that they were looking forward to further cooperating at the India-EU Leaders’ Meeting in Porto and the India-Nordic Summit. In addition, India invited Finland to join its global initiatives, such as the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
The summit also resulted in the establishment of an Indo-Finnish Digital Partnership. While announcing this, Marin said that the two countries were “natural partners in the field of new technologies.” Through this newly established partnership, they sought to enhance and diversify their bilateral relationship in sectors such as “trade and investment, innovation, education, emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, 5G/6G, and quantum computing.” Moreover, Prime Minister Modi also expressed his desire to use Finland’s leading role in developing and promoting clean and green technologies to achieve sustainable development in India. For this, he called for “enhanced cooperation” on issues including “renewable and bio-energy, sustainability, edu-tech, pharma, and digitisation.”
Portugal
On the same day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with his Portuguese counterpart Luis Santos da Costa. The two discussed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the need to secure “equitable distribution” of the vaccine to successfully bring an end to the pandemic. In this regard, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the details of India’s vaccination program, along with the successful delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines to over 70 countries. He reiterated the Indian side’s commitment to bring an end to the pandemic.
They also discussed the upcoming India-EU Leaders’ Meeting in Porto, which will be held under the Portuguese presidency. Moreover, Prime Minister Modi also appreciated the role played by Portugal in furthering an India-EU Strategic Partnership.
United States
On Saturday, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a telephonic conversation with her American counterpart Janet Yellen. This was the first conversation between the two leaders since Yellen was appointed as the Treasury Secretary.
According to a statement released by the United States Department of the Treasury, Yellen recognised India as a “critical partner in Asia”. Further, she expressed her desire to work closely with Sitharaman to further a “strong global recovery from the COVID-19, fight inequality, and advance a bold climate agenda” both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. On the other hand, Sitharaman applauded the “well thought out” American Rescue Plan, which set aside $1.9 trillion for COVID-19 relief by focussing on the American working and middle-class.
Sri Lanka
On the same day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. During the conversation, the two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral communication channels, specifically with regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, they conducted an extensive review of “topical developments” and “the ongoing cooperation between both countries in bilateral and multilateral forums.” Prime Minister Modi also highlighted Sri Lanka’s importance in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy.
Indian Diplomacy: Weekly Round-Up (13 - 19 March, 2021)
This week, Indian authorities convened several meetings with officials from Kuwait, Finland, and Portugal, amongst others.
March 19, 2021
SOURCE: TWITTER