He agreed to be a Leading Light on a visit to the UK last month. We decided to discuss India’s relationship with the outside world.
Mr Sibal remarked ruefully that the topic was broad, considering that the outside world consists of more than 192 countries. Rather, he thought that the most relevant topic in foreign policy terms was India’s relationship with her neighbouring countries, and relations with the
“Big powers. The new government is intent on strengthening relations with neighbours which is why initiatives have been taken in that regard. Part of the objective is to strengthen SAARC, the regional organisation, though of course there’ll be major challenges ahead,” he said.
He took us on a whistle-stop tour of India’s current foreign policy, turning first to perhaps her thorniest topic, he thought thatthe outside world consists of more than 192 countries. there are terrorist networks on the ground but I think th
“the perennial issue of managing our relations with Pakistan, which I don’t see being addressed in the near future. With Sri Lanka we have new opportunities with the change in government and the reach out on both sides has been very important. After 28 years our PM has made a bilateral visit to Sri Lanka.”
Mr Sibal said that his country has excellent relations with Bhutan. But according to him India needs to watch her eastern and her western flanks and even the land by her coast.
“In Bangladesh we have a very friendly incumbent but the internal situation in Bangladesh is a cause for concern.
There is this big problem in Bangladesh because of the conflict between the two ladies and the BNP’s association with the Jamaat –e- Islami of Bangladesh, and the fact that there are terrorist networks on the ground. But I think our bigger problem with radicalisation is on the western side with Pakistan, not so much with Bangladesh.”
He added that the Maldives are also a cause for concern to India, because the internal situation there is very unstable.
There was an implied criticism of Afghanistan, as the former diplomat stated starkly that “it now poses a new challenge to us. The new Afghan president is not quite the same as President Karzai and his priorities seem to be somewhat different. And he seems to be constantly relying on the relationship with Pakistan. But we have to see how the Taliban can be brought into a dialogue process with the Ashraf Ghani government. To that extent he’s attaching less priority immediately to relations with India. But I think that he will soon discover that Pakistan is not going to deliver what he wants. We’ll see what happens.”
Mr Sibal commented that with the United States, there had been a major turnaround in relations with the new Indian government. The US government had apparently banned Modi from visiting the United States for nine long years but now there was not only a reversal of that situation, there also seems to be “a close personal chord that has been struck between Obama and Modi. Modi’s not afraid to openly deepen our strategic partnership. With the United States he has been forthright on the whole situation in the South China Sea, Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. I think he’s come to the conclusion that his development agenda cannot be advanced as much as he would wish it to unless he had the United States as a partner.”
Mr Sibal felt that on relations with China, the Indian PM is trying to break new ground if possible by paying attention to the relationship, especially on the economic side. “Opening up the Indian market to Chinese investments so that they can spend their huge financial resources on developing infrastructure in our country. Which has been a huge strategic boost to our partnership.
He’s playing his foreign policy cards very well I think. Europe has been a bit neglected comparatively but now that he’s visiting France and Germany that bit of lacuna in his foreign policy agenda is also being addressed.”
