Modi was responding to a tweet by Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in which he expressed his thanks to the prime minister for India’s financial assistance to his country.
India will support connectivity projects in Maldives through a financial package consisting of a grant of USD 100 million and a new Line of Credit of USD 400 million
The COVID 19 is a reminder that there are life-threatening issues which transcend borders. The call of the day therefore is to usher in a new type of globalisation where human life stands above human prosperity.
India’s global stature has risen in recent years on account of political stability, sound economic growth, large market for trade and investments, and its endeavours to enhance its military muscles.
Rajapaksa, who is seen as close to China, requested all countries to respect Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.
Photo: Courtesy Daily Mirror
It is in this backdrop that Modi’s visits to Maldives and Sri Lanka – his first official overseas destinations in his second term as Prime Minister – is expected to herald the second chapter for Modi’s Neighbourhood First policy. Its second edition is expected to mark a shift from India’s immediate to extended neighbourhood and from disputed land borders to maritime expanse making Modi an Indo-Pacific Prime Minister.
Even without SAARC, India and Pakistan will have to engage with each other within the very framework of the SCO. So why not that bilateral meeting between South Asia’s midnight’s children to start afresh.
One fundamental change in India’s policy under Modi has been to avoid directly countering China’s expanding commercial footprint inside India’s neighbouring nations. China has created an added challenge for India in that the southern country’s work with its neighbours appears diminished, even disinterested, in comparison to the high speed delivery of China’s mega projects.
It should not be impossible to think of creating another trade and communication-related entity to come up on the pattern of BIMSTEC with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran as its permanent members, and with an almost identical agenda as of the Bay of Bengal Initiative.
Photo: Representational Image: iStock)
The prime minister is no stranger to the international arena. During his first term (2014-19) he acted as a hands-on de-facto Foreign Minister, investing considerable time and energy in shaping the country’s foreign policy.