PM Modi keeps India’s foreign policy active and alive

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has undertaken at least six foreign visits so far this year to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships by taking part in international summits including the G7 summit and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit held in Germany and Uzbekistan respectively.

On May 16, PM Modi undertook a brief visit to neighbouring Nepal on the occasion of Buddha Purnima also known as Vesak in Sri Lanka.  Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba welcomed and accompanied PM Modi on his visit to Lumbini.

He visited the Mayadevi Temple and laid the foundation stone for the construction of the India International Center for Buddhist Culture and Heritage, and held bilateral meetings with PM Deuba and other Nepali leaders.

PM Modi’s visit has brought religious and cultural diplomacy to the center of India-Nepal relations. During the visit, he said that closer India-Nepal relations “will serve the benefit of the entire humanity.”

The Indian PM visited Japan twice this year and the first visit was in late May to attend the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) where talks were held with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

In his opening remarks at the Quad summit in Tokyo, Prime Minister Modi said the Quadrilateral alliance is a "Force for Good."  

"Our confidence and determination are strengthening the democratic forces. Our cooperation at the level of Quad is aimed at an inclusive Indo-Pacific region. We increased cooperation during the COVID-19 regarding vaccine delivery, climate action, supply chain resilience, disaster response," he said.

One of the most vital summits Mr. Modi attended this year was the G7 Summit in Germany in June. He was welcomed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at Schloss Elmau, the venue for the G7 summit. He also had bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the summit.

In his remarks to the summit, Mr. Modi said the clean energy sector has emerged as a major domain in India and developed economies should invest in this sector. “Access to energy should not be a privilege of the rich and the poor should also have equal right to energy,” Prime Minister Modi said.

Wrapping up a successful visit to Germany, Mr. Modi arrived in the UAE on June 29 where he was warmly embraced by President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed.

The visiting PM offered his condolences on the death of President Zayed’s predecessor Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed who passed away on May 13. The prime minister also congratulated President Zayed on being elected president.

In September, PM Modi undertook a two-day visit to Uzbekistan from 15th to 16th to attend the Shanghai Cooperation organisation (SCO) summit.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
 
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi held meetings with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO.

During the meeting with the Russian President, the two leaders reportedly discussed the ongoing war, besides bilateral, regional and other global issues.
 
PM Modi told Putin that it is no more an era of war and raised food, fertiliser and fuel security among the major concerns of the world at the moment.

"I know that today's era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this," Modi told Putin.

Putin replied that he understood Modi's concerns about the war. "I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine, and I know about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible. We will keep you abreast of what is happening there," Putin was quoted as saying.

Prime Minister Modi’s most recent visit was to Japan on September 27 to attend the State Funeral of former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe. This was his second visit to Japan this year.  

Mr. Modi met his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida ahead of the ceremony and the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening of India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

Kishida visited India for the annual summit in March while Modi visited Japan for the Quad Leaders' Summit in May.

Meanwhile, PM Modi will address the UN World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC)  on October 11 in Hyderabad, India.  The five-day conference will be convened by the UN committee of experts on global geospatial information management and hosted by the Department of Science & Technology.

It is expected to see the participation of over 2000 delegates, including 700 plus international delegates and participants from 120 countries to discuss issues related to the development and strengthening of integrated geospatial information management, its capacities, and capabilities.

Since assuming office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned India into a strategic player with a highly effective foreign policy.