Relevance : GS Paper II
Theme of the Article
Routine meetings between leaders will liberate the Subcontinent from formalism of summits.
Informal diplomacy: India
- In 2014, PM Modispent first day in office withleaders from neighbourhood.
- Beyond the formal visits, Modi found opportunities to drop by in the neighbourhood, for example, visiting Nawaz Sharif at his home.
Informal diplomacy: Other nations
- President of Maldives invited Indian PM for his oath ceremony.
- Pakistan’s Prime Minister invited foreign leaders for his swearing in ceremony.
- There is also the tradition of South Asian leaders making unofficial visits to temples and dargahs in India.
Overcoming limitations of SAARC
- Limitations of SAARC were seen in 2014 after Pakistan pull out.
- Since then Delhi has emphasised other multilateral mechanisms such as sub-regional cooperation
Way forward
- The Subcontinent can do with more of this kind of engagement.
- Informal diplomacy will make it easier for India to sustain high-level engagement.
- If meetings with Pakistan’s leadership become routine and informal, it will be helpful for India.
- Informal diplomacy could also help go beyond SAARC.
Conclusion
Governments should double down on informal diplomacy that could help pave the way for more purposeful regional cooperation.
