Modi’s 8-day whirl wind tour to five central Asian countries
(CARs) that included a high octane dialogue with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, participation in the BRICS Summit and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) has been the most power packed foreign trip of the Prime Minister so far.
However, the crucial economic gains and bilateral cooperation treaties inked
with the five CAR’s failed to draw enough media attention and coverage vis- a-
vis Modi’s engagement with his Pakistani Counterpart. Ambitiously christened as
Look North tour, Modi’s focus has been to foster cooperation with these
resource rich nations to enhance strategic, economic and energy ties.
Modi commenced his tour with Uzbekistan and Kazakasthan, and
then left for Ufa, the capital city of Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia where
Modi had talks with Russian President Putin, met President Rouhani of Iran,
reached out to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, addressed BRICS meet and participated
in SCO. During the final leg of the tour he visited Turkmenistan, Kyrgystan and
Tajikistan. Modi is the only Indian Prime Minister who visited all the five
“Stans” as they are popularly referred to, during a single trip. These
landlocked resource rich nations share cultural, historical and religious links
with India. Unfortunately earlier Indian leaders failed to forge bilateral ties
with these nations since their disassociation from the Soviet Union in 1991. The
key focus of the NDA government has been to effectively enhance the economic
interests of the country with adroit foreign policy stratagem.
At the first stopover in Uzbekistan, both leaders discussed
ways to enhance defence, economic and trading ties and shared concerns over the
growing influence of extremism and terrorism. Modi paid visit to Monument of
Independence and Humanism and Memorial of the Late Indian Prime Minister Lal
Bahadur Sastry at Tashkent. Agreements were reached on the issues of Counter
terrorism and to bring about coordination between the law-enforcement agencies
and special services of both nations under the framework of Joint Working Group
on Counter- terrorism. Uzbekistan nurtures Hindi language and Modi met the
contingent of the resident Indologists there. Prime Minister sought
Uzbekistan’s support to India for joining the Ashgabat Agreement a transit pact
established in 2011 by Iran, Oman, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Such
an inclusion can boost India’s chances of massively improving its connectivity
with Central Asia.
In Kazakhstan Modi was extended a very warm welcome. India
inked five agreements with Kazakhstan on defence, railways, cultural exchanges,
capacity building and Uranium supply. Kazakhstan is one of the biggest
producers of Uranium and accounts for 38% of World production. Between 2009 and
2014 India obtained 2100 metric tonnes of Uranium. With the extension of new
deal on civil nuclear cooperation that spans from 2015-2019 India can get 5000
metric tonnes of Uranium. Thus all the nuclear reactors which are shut for the
unavailability of fuel will be back in action. Both countries have issued a
joint statement titled Tej Kadam which broached on the possibility of
transporting oil and natural gas through pipelines from Kazakhstan to India and
also stressing the need for new UN reforms on the eve of its 70th
anniversary. Kazakhstan has also supported India’s candidature for a permanent
seat at UN Security Council. Both sides agreed on increased collaboration in
the framework of International North South Corridor (INSTC). INSTC was
established in 2000 by India, Russia and Iran to increase the rail, road and
water connectivity between India, Iran, Russia, Europe and Central Asian
Countries. Later ten more countries in Eurasia and Oman joined as members as
this project proposes to cut down the transportation costs to Central Asia by
30%. Currently two trails are conducted on this route which connects Mumbai to
Bandar Abbas port and subsequently Bandar-e-Anzali in Iran to Astrakhan in
Russia and finally to Central Asia. India is also working on leasing the
Chabahar port in Iran to develop another transit corridor which links Iran,
Oman and Central Asia. India is steadfastly looking for the North-South
corridor as Pakistan has comprehensively posed a great barrier to India’s
access to Central Asia.
The issue of connectivity has been greatest encumbrance for
India to strengthen its trading ties with Central Asia. India’s shortest route
to Central Asia is through Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. But despite fervent
appeals from India, Afghanistan and US, Pakistan refused to grant overland
transit facilities to India. Tajikistan is just 20km away from the border of
greater Kashmir, but with denial of access to the traditional route movement of
goods across the border has become a humongous task. In his address at
Nazarbayev University Modi hoped that Pakistan would relent.
In Turkmenistan Prime Minister unveiled a bust of Mahatma
Gandhi and inaugurated a Traditional Medicine and Yoga Centre. In a joint
statement both nations agreed to step up efforts against cross-border threats,
terrorism and illegal drug-trafficking and agreed to enhance bilateral trade,
investment and economic cooperation. Modi pitched for the quicker
implementation of $ 10 billion, 1800 kilometre long TAPI (Turkmenistan
Afghanistan Pakistan and India) gas pipeline which will deliver 3.2 billion
cubic feet of natural gas per annum to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Turkmenistan has the fourth largest reserves of Oil and natural gas. While the
project TAPI was conceived two decades ago, its progress is severely doubted as
it passes through worst conflict ridden areas in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
While reinforcing that the gas line could potentially transform the economic
prosperity of the region, Modi stressed on the feasibility of exploring multiple
options like land-sea route through Iran for its quick implementation.
Interestingly, Pakistan which has been reluctant to foster transborder economic
cooperation persisted with this project. Perhaps this project might turn out to
be an exception wherein India and Pakistan might join hands together.
Turkmenistan which is largely dependent on its gas exports is also keen on the
project as well. The two sides have signed seven pacts including one on defence
cooperation. Modi even proposed the establishment of an agriculture research
institute and a urea production facility in Turkmenistan.
India and Kyrgyzstan share common interests of combating
extremism and terrorism. Special Forces of both countries held a joint exercise
in March titled Khanzar 2015 and during the current visit the spheres of
defence cooperation is broadened. Four agreements are signed which included
cooperation between election commissions, cooperation between Bureau of
Standards and in culture. Kyrgyzstan has recently joined Russian-led Eurasia
Economic Union. It promised to work towards conclusion of a Free Trade
Agreement between Eurasia Economic Union and India. India in turn has offered
to share its experience on agro-processing, tele-medicine, green house
technology, water conservation and agriculture research.
In his penultimate stop at Tajikistan, Modi invoked the deep
historical, cultural and linguistic connect between the two countries. India
has its lone foreign airbase at Ayni near the capital city of Dushnabe which
was refurbished in 2007. But India couldn’t base its helicopters as Tajikistan
under Russian pressure denied access. India had high hopes of having its foot
print in the Central Asia with this military outpost. Modi however visited
military hospital built by India at Tajik airbase of Farkhor. Both the
countries resolved to intensify cooperation in counter terrorism and in various
spheres of defence. Larger part of Indian agenda was to realise full potential
of economic and trade and commerce. Accordingly, both sides constituted a joint
commission to chalk out a concrete plan for expanding joint ventures and
investments. Two sides inked agreements on culture and human resource
development. Modi proposed inclusion of India in the existing Pakistan Afghanistan
Tajikistan Trilateral Transit Trade Agreement (PATTTTA), an arrangement aimed
at facilitating trade between South Asian countries and Tajikistan. Further
leaders agreed for deepening cooperation in fields of agriculture, tourism,
health, tele-medicine, food processing, mining, pharmaceuticals, textiles,
skill development. Tajikistan leadership sought for greater Indian engagement
in hydroelectric power generation.
Prime Minister Modi’s back to back visit to geographically
contiguous Central Asian Republics is a perspicacious decision. These nations
have been under the Russian hegemony till 1991 and eventually harboured good
will towards India. These land-locked countries, in the back yard of Russia,
deprived of a robust connectivity networks and laundering under poor nation
building process are still largely dependent on its past master. Despite their
willingness to carve a unique niche they are unable to break out from the
strangulating hold of Russia. China in its immediate vicinity in the meanwhile
is making deeper in roads into these countries and trying to draw the much
needed lifeline, Oil and natural gas. But CARs are wary of its growing economic
clout, aggressive expansionism. They are now looking forward to India to play a
strategic role in this region. Unfortunately India with its historical,
cultural and religious links in the past 25 years failed to establish strong
relationships with CARs. With the emergence and spread of ISIS in the west Asia,
impending threats of extremism and terrorism have become common cause of
concern for India and CARs. Modi in his diplomatic engagement with CARs raised
this issue and sought cooperation for counter terror technology and counter
radicalism. Moreover, engaging with countries that share common border with
Afghanistan would help India to safe guard its own strategic interests at a
time when India efforts in rebuilding Afghanistan have been overridden by
China-Pakistan duo. Besides, by engaging with resource-rich CARs India can bolster
its economic prospects. As CARs can provide the needed raw material (energy
supplies) and can acts as markets for Indian goods. Modi during his bilateral
talks with all the leaders garnered support for India’s candidature as a
permanent member to the UN Security Council. Above all, to counter the towering
influence of China and to bolster India’s presence in the global arena engaging
with CARs is inevitable.
@ Copyrights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment