Relevance : GS Paper II
Theme of the Article
The invitation list for the swearing-in signals the Modi government’s foreign policy focus.
Why has this issue cropped up?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to invite leaders of the other six BIMSTEC countries to the swearing-in ceremony of his Council of Ministers.
What does this Invitation Indicate?
It sends out several messages on new government’s foreign policy focus.
- The invitation to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand is a continuation of the “neighbourhood first” policy.
- By not inviting leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Maldives on this occasion, the government is underlining that its regional preferences have shifted from the SAARC grouping to BIMSTEC, given the logjam at SAARC because of India-Pakistan tensions.
- Thailand is not just a member of BIMSTEC but also holds the chair of ASEAN this year, and an invitation is as much about India’s “Act East” initiative and outreach to East Asia.
- Finally, the separate invitation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation chairperson indicates India’s commitment to the Central Asian grouping led by China and Russia.
- The other separate invitation to Prime Minister of Mauritius, who visited India in January this year as chief guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya conference, is an affirmation of the close affinity between the two countries.
BIMSTEC and SCO
- India’s engagement with both BIMSTEC and the SCO, which India joined as an observer in 2005, is at a promising but incipient stage.
- After its formation in 1997, BIMSTEC made very little progress and didn’t even have a fully working secretariat until recently.
- Its deliberations on subregional connectivity have been delayed owing to concerns in Bhutan, while Nepal and Thailand sent only observers to the military exercises last year due to other misgivings. Even so, India sees BIMSTEC as a possible alternative to SAARC, which has failed to meet for five years.
- The SCO, which inducted India and Pakistan as full members last year, is yet to demonstrate its utility for India, but is seen as a possible balancer at a time when the U.S. is taking a more aggressive position on trade, sanctions against Iran, Venezuela and Russia, all of which are sources of concern for India.
Conclusion
The attendance at PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony and the bilateral meetings that will follow may represent little by way of actual outcomes. Rather, it is a statement of intent on new avenues of India’s multilateral engagements.
