The PM’s recent meetings with Macron, Trump and Putin show Delhi’s diplomatic astuteness

The last two weeks have witnessed Indian foreign policy at its strategic best. The three summit level meetings that PM Modi has had with French President Macron (22-23 August), US President Trump (26 August) and finally, Russian President Putin (4-5 September) displays a remarkable dexterity in our foreign policy. At a time when the multipolar international order is characterised by fundamental instability, this augurs very well for India.

The last two weeks have witnessed Indian foreign policy at its strategic best. The three summit-level meetings that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had with France’s President Emmanuel Macron (August 22-23), United States’ President Donald Trump (August 26), and finally, Russian President Vladimir Putin (September 4-5) display a remarkable dexterity in our foreign policy. At a time when the multipolar international order is characterised by fundamental instability, this augurs well for India.

The strategic partnership that we have with France is not new, but Modi deserves a lot of credit for energising and rejuvenating it. I still remember, as India’s ambassador to France, that within one month of Macron winning elections, Modi was keen to visit Paris to get to know the new leader, and establish a personal rapport with him. Modi paid a visit to Paris in June 2017, and was one of the first foreign leaders to meet Macron.

His latest visit was again planned painstakingly because it meant that the PM had to go to Paris first for the summit with Macron, then finish the West Asian leg involving the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and then come back to Biarritz in France again for the G7 meeting. The only reason the two leaders did this was that the time available for a bilateral at Biarritz would not have sufficed for the detailed summit meeting they wanted to strengthen bilateral ties. There is now little doubt that Indo-French ties are free of major irritants, and the latest joint statement proves that the two sides are taking it to a whole new level by talking about a roadmap for cybersecurity and digital technology, implementing a joint-strategic vision for cooperation in the Indian Ocean (read Indo-Pacific), as well as areas such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence. France has stood rock solid by India, as evidenced recently when we took action in Kashmir. It is noteworthy that Modi has invested time and energy in such a crucial relationship for India.

By Mohan Kumar

Source: hindustantimes.com

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