New Delhi: With Narendra Modi’s swearing in as the new Prime Minister, on Monday, the focus has turned to SAARC nations and the PM’s strong gesture with them being invited. While the handshakes were symbolic, Modi scored with creative diplomacy by hosting the leaders.
Two key messages have been sent, Modi wants to focus on the neighbourhood and second, he wants to demolish the theory of India playing a big brother in the region. Sure he will have to do some tough talking with errant neighbours like Pakistan. Repair ties with Bangladesh, reassure Sri Lanka and Maldives but for now he has scored a diplomatic coup.
He has also sent home the message that foreign policy will be driven by the Prime Minister’s Office despite having a strong Minister like Sushma Swaraj as the Foreign Affairs Minister.
Heads of Government from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Mauritius, Maldives, Nepal and Afghanistan attended the ceremony, while Bangladesh was represented by the speaker of its Parliament.
Modi met them on Tuesday with his first bilateral talks with Afghanistan’s outgoing President Hamid Karzai. Talks surrounded security and cooperation with the impending NATO troop withdrawal in Afghanistan by the end of this year. A very important discussion on the recent attack on Indian consulate in Herat, Afghanistan was a topic. Modi also later met with Maldives President Abdulla Yameen at Hyderabad House.
Domestic politics have ruled the relation between Sri Lanka and India, however despite protests from political parties in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went ahead with his invitation to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. This tie will be one to watch, if Modi changes policies of associations with the island nation.
Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, have all met the new Prime Minister. Bangladesh parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury also met Modi. But the most awaited meet was that of Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Nawaz Sharif.
The meeting between the Modi and Sharif dominated terror. The Indian Prime Minister raised 26/11 and the slow pace of the trial. He reportedly stressed that Pakistan must uphold its commitment to control terrorism from its country.