OVER the last month, India has been a site of some high-profile diplomatic events. Immediately after holding G20 summit, India held Quad foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi. This has now been followed by the visit of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and which, in turn, will be followed by that of Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Also, India, the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), is all set to host the organization’s meeting of energy ninisters, on March 14. India is also holding Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa being held in May to which it has also invited Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. After this, there will be the Quad leaders’ summit in Australia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the US later this year.
This is a packed diplomatic calendar and announces India’s arrival as a major player on geopolitical scene. Australian PM took part in Holi celebrations in Gujarat capital Ahmadabad. Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi hosted him at the stadium named after him. The two leaders took selfies. Albanese said the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) signed between India and Australia was a transformative pact that would unlock the next level of potential in bilateral trade and investment. He also expressed appreciation for the large turnout of Australian investors who accompanied him as well as for the key Indian business houses that participated in the meeting.
The flurry of these major geopolitical events in India once again reflect India’s growing global diplomatic heft. Things are only set to get better from hereon. All major powers even when they are on opposite sides of geopolitical divide want to be friends with India. On the other hand, Washington’s priorities with India are no longer regional in their nature but their scope is the larger geo-politics. In recent years, the US-India engagement has also been about the remaking of the global power equation with India not only being recognized as a global power in its own right but also as a countervailing force to China, the world’s No 2 in waiting. It goes without saying that India’s 1.4 billion population with a value addition of a burgeoning middle class has become an ultimate attraction for the west. Besides, India’s calling card of democracy – albeit hemmed in by issues of its own – in a region of dysfunctional countries, autocracies and Chinese communism are making India a global favourite. Whatever side you look at it from, this is one of the best times for the country.
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