Visits by Indian presidents to friendly countries do not generally evoke much public or popular interest. They are seen basically as feel good, glorified photo opportunities where nothing much of significance or policy is discussed. They are essentially used to send a message of goodwill and friendship to the host countries. As such, barring some perfunctory and superficial coverage, they are not covered in any extensive detail by either the print or electronic media in India. The above description does not fit the on-going six-day ‘’historic’’ (according to the president himself) visit by the Indian president, Pranab Mukherjee, to Jordan, Israel and Palestine from October 10 to 16.
First Indian President to Visit Israel
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India has had the privilege of hosting Israeli presidents and prime ministers in the past. The significance of Mukherjee’s visit arises not only because it is the first tour by an Indian head of state to Israel — although for this reason alone his visit will be keenly followed and monitored. But there are several other reasons why it assumes greater importance, that go much beyond the individual significance of the countries being visited or their position in bilateral and regional security, and the energy and trade matrix.
What West Asia Means to India
West Asia is a region of great strategic significance for India. More than seven million Indians live in the region and they remit significant amounts of foreign currency to India. About $38 billion out of the total $70.4 billion that India received from its diaspora last year came from West Asia. Inward remittances from West Asia are significantly higher as compared to the foreign direct investment and the foreign institutional investment received by the country every year. Inward remittances help to improve the living conditions and financial security of the families of Indians working abroad.
In addition, security, safety and the welfare of our diaspora is a matter of immense significance for the government and policy-makers in India. It is incumbent for the government to maintain cordial and friendly relations with all countries so that our workers, professionals, their children and families live freely and lead a life of respect and dignity in the countries of their choice.
With increasing prosperity as a result of revenue from increasing oil and energy exports, West Asia has emerged as a significant importer of Indian goods and services. India enjoys an overall trade of $200 billion with the region which represents 25% of India’s global trade.
The Security Perspective
The importance of West Asia in India’s security paradigm has also increased considerably because of the rising violence, conflict and war-like situation prevailing in the region. The latest entrant in the complex power structure is the Islamic State (IS), which has occupied, in a very short period, vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. Increasingly the conflict is getting polarised along Shia-Sunni lines. Countries of the region are being divided into different camps owing allegiance to either of the two sects. What is even more disturbing is that big powers like the US, Russia, China and Europe are also taking sides, increasing the potential of a local conflict unintentionally spiralling out of hand.
What is clear is that conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya will not see an end in a hurry.
With such a profile it is somewhat anomalous that no major visit to the region has taken place since the government led by Prime Minister Modi came to power, except for the PM’s own visit to UAE in August 2015. Modi has traversed the globe having visited more than 25 countries over a period of 16 months but it was increasingly felt that due justice has not been done to this region, which is a part of our extended neighbourhood.
A Region Not to Be Overlooked
It is essential for the Indian leadership to go to these countries at the highest political level for a first-hand assessment of the situation and to ensure that our interests are stable, secure and safe in matters of the welfare of our diaspora, energy security, and markets for our goods and services. There could not be a better leader at this juncture than the president, who with his years of hands-on experience of dealing with several portfolios including external affairs, commerce, finance, defense, home etc., will effectively advance our interests.
By far the most important visit out of the three countries would be to Israel, although, for all the above reasons, a visit to the other two countries would be no less vital. The visit will send a strong and clear message that India is keenly interested in ensuring the security, stability and prosperity of the region and in strengthening its ties with West Asia.
(The writer is a former Indian ambassador to Kazakhstan, Sweden and Latvia)
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