Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be sworn in for his second term on 30 May. And this is a pretty big event, to put it lightly.
The PM has invited very specific leaders of the world to his swearing in. Who’s been invited, who’s been left out and what does it mean? Well it all means a LOT and it’ll have a huge impact on the future of India’s international relations, so sit back and listen.
We’re joined by former Indian ambassador G Parthasarathy as well as The Quint’s Foreign Affairs Correspondent Khemta Jose on this podcast.
So, the BIMSTEC countries are Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.
In 2014, the PM invited the SAARC countries, which included Afghanistan and Pakistan, apart from most of the BIMSTEC nations. But why has India chosen to invite the BIMSTEC countries instead of the SAARC countries?
Well, apart from isolating Pakistan, it’s also beneficial for India as far as connectivity goes, since nearly 25% of the goods traded in the world, pass through the Bay of Bengal.
G Parthasarathy has been an important part of India’s foreign affairs, serving as Indian Ambassador to Myanmar from 1992–95, High Commissioner of India to Australia, High Commissioner of India to Pakistan and High Commissioner of India to Cyprus.
He also served as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office. He explains the reason SAARC may now be irrelevant.
“In the case of BIMSTEC, we now regard it as the primary organisation for regional co-operation. We found that SAARC was becoming non-functional because of Pakistan. Pakistan has not implemented the Free Trade Agreement. Restrictions on our exports are also horrendous.”Gopalaswami Parthasarathy, Former Diplomat, High Commissioner and MEA Spokesperson
BIMSTEC was born from the ashes of SAARC in 2016. In the wake of the Uri attack, India intensified its push for a new international group that could be formed without Pakistan. It was out of this that BIMSTEC was born.
“SAARC has been left with little meaning. Also, connectivity is growing with all BIMSTEC countries, and we have free trade agreements with all the BIMSTEC countries.”G Parthasarathy
Topping off these issues, India may be trying to send a message by not inviting Pakistan, given the past few months of tensions escalating and relations deteriorating with the neighbouring nation.
“The message they’re trying to send is very clear. India was helpful to Pakistan till as far as 2016, even after the Pathankot Air Base attack. India allowed the Pak ISI to enter the base for a probe. After the Uri attack in 2016, that’s when India began to boycott SAARC. Now since Pulwama and Balakot, it seems the Modi govt is only going to continue its effort to isolate Pakistan from its affairs.”Khemta Jose, Foreign Affairs Correspondent
So, while India might be trying to send a message to Pakistan, what does the invite to the Kyrgyz Republic and the Mauritius mean?
Well, the Kyrgyz Republic is the leader of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which includes India, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan. India is likely to leverage its membership in the SCO for its own strategic objectives.
And what about inviting the Mauritius?
“Mauritius has forever been our best friend in the Indian Ocean. It has a large majority of Indian population. That has continued whatever composition of the government there is. And additionally, BIMSTEC does not cover the western Indian Ocean.”G Parthasarathy
While India prepares for its second round of the Modi Sarkar’s tenure, will its role in the BIMSTEC and SCO play an important part in the next five years?
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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