After Act East, now Modi government turns focus on West Asia

NEW DELHI: West Asia appears to be in diplomatic spotlight as India plans to host Presidents of Turkey and Palestine in April-end and in May, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Israel in early July. Besides, foreign ministers of Egypt and Oman are scheduled to visit India before Modi visits Israel.
Significantly, India plans to host the President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, at the end of April, ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-pending trip, in a careful balancing act as Turkey does not recognise the current Greek-Cypriot government in Nicosia. Over the decades Cyprus has been a consistent supporter of India in the United Nations on various issues, particularly international terrorism. Both Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Cyprus while they were prime minister.

Oman’s foreign minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah is scheduled to visit India on April 2-3 ahead of Modi’s proposed visit to Muscat. While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ first visit since the Modi government took office in May 2014 will reinforce India’s long-standing ties with the region and its stand on the two-state solution, the Turkish President’s visit is expected to be followed even more closely across the region and beyond.

Turkey, an enduring ally of Pakistan, has faced several terrorist attacks in the past two years including one at a popular Istanbul pub that killed two Indians late last year. With the country bearing the brunt of ISIS, it has improved its ties with Russia to combat the terrorist group. Erdogan’s trip is expected to strengthen commitment to counter-terror cooperation besides discussions on India’s efforts to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group. While Turkey supports India’s entry into NSG it also favours Pakistan’s entry into the club.

Abbas’ visit will be held in the backdrop of the first Indo-Palestinian Joint Commission meeting last year and India’s participation in a conference on Israel and Palestine organised by France in Paris. India is expected to extend further assistance to Palestinian for capacity-building besides exploring business ties, according to people aware of the matter, who said that expanding ties with West Asia at a fast pace has been a major achievement of the Modi government. Rulers of the UAE and Qatar were among the first to congratulate Modi after the Uttar Pradesh assembly election results came out on March 11.

“No country is big or small and every country is a sovereign entity. This has been the motto of PM Modi as his government has embarked on a mission mode to engage with all nation states,” said an official, who did not wish to be identified, amid the ongoing trip of the minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar to Cyprus.

Ahead of Akbar’s trip to Nicosia, the external affairs ministry said in a statement, “India has consistently and unwaveringly supported sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Cyprus and a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus issue.” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is likely to hold a meeting of the joint commission with his counterpart Sushma Swaraj next month in Delhi to take forward decisions taken during the Presidential trip to India last year.