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Sushma Swaraj's New York stint charts a global role for country

The external affairs minister injects dynamism into Indian diplomacy

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's frontal assault on Pakistan at the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) plenary session may not change ground situation so immediately, experts here believe that her week-long packed scheduled of super diplomacy in New York has laid down the groundwork for India's terms of engagement with the world to seek a greater share of responsibility. Coming back in action, after her kidney transplant a year ago, the swashbuckling Swaraj attended 20 bilateral meetings with an array of world leaders, 13 multi-lateral engagements and one tri-lateral session lined up for her, which it is understood has injected dynamism into Indian diplomacy, accustomed to a leisurely pace.

Though her office had prepared draft for her speech, which Swaraj delivered with a fury and fire at the UNGA, she had devoted Friday evening and Saturday morning to fine-tone it herself to incorporate a stern message to Pakistan. She mentioned Pakistan 15 times and world terror 17 times in her speech, as against 2015 and 2016 speeches, where Pakistan was mentioned 3 and 6 times only. Pakistan PM Shahid Khakan Abbasi had mentioned Kashmir' 17 times, and 'India' 14 times.

Upon reaching New York last Monday, she immediately kicked off her engagement with a trilateral meeting with her American and Japanese counterparts Rex Tillerson, and Taro Kono respectively. The meeting was significant amid the recent Doklam stand-off and China flexing its muscles. Referring to North Korea's nuclear testing, she made a strong push for investigations to hold those involved in non-proliferation accountable. In other words, demanding an action and investigations into Pakistan and North Korea nuclear tie-up.

She also had a one-to-one meeting with Tillerson, where she strongly raised the issue of H1-B visa, the most sought after by Indian IT professionals and also regional issues with a focus of Pakistan, Afghanistan and terrorism. They also discussed the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which the US and India will co-host in Hyderabad from November 28 to 30. The American delegation would be led by Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the US President Trump.

Her most important engagement in the context of current Rohingya refugee crises was with the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. While on on September 15, hours after her ministry had announced Operation Insaniyat, she had talked to the Bangladeshi PM on phone at the instance of the Prime Minister Modi, they had an on-board interaction on way to New York as they took the same Etihad Airways flight last Sunday from Abu Dhabi to New York. Both of them met again in New York. Swaraj is now expected to visit Dhaka next month for bilateral talks. Officials said Modi had asked to use a personal camaraderie to assuage Bangladesh's concerns on Rohingya issue. For Modi government, the balance between Myanmar and Bangladesh has been a tightrope walk.

Displaying aura of an emerging world power, she while attending conclave of foreign ministers of CARICOM, an organization of 15 Caribbean nations, she pledged emergency aid of $200,000 to the worst-affected countries by recent hurricanes in that region. She also announced another $2 million fund from the India-UN Partnership Fund for South-South Cooperation for the rehabilitation projects in the region.

She had opportunity to rub shoulders with her Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Muhammad Asif around the tables of ministerial meetings of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and at SAARC . On both occasions, she stressed the primacy given to removal of terrorism. "Regional prosperity, connectivity and cooperation can take place only in an atmosphere of peace and security. It, however, remains at serious risk in the region... It is necessary for our region's survival that we eliminate the scourge of terrorism in all its forms, without any discrimination, and end the ecosystem of its support," she said at the SAARC ministerial meeting.

Admitting that Saarc had failed to live up to its objectives not being able to set up a free trade system or connectivity in the region because of non-cooperation of a single country (Paksitan), Swaraj was seen investing her energies in the multi-lateral forums like BIMSTEC, a Bay of Bengal Initiative involving Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal, BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) at the regional level. Modi government is encouraging these sub-groupings minus Pakistan to take up projects of physical connectivity, along with rail and power-sharing systems, into a new model of cooperation.

Swaraj while attending the meeting of Non-Aligned Movement ( NAM) foreign ministers, assuaged the grouping that it still has a special place for India. She also reminded that India was a major contributor to the UNGA mandated UN Relief and Works Agency delivering valuable public services to Palestinian refugees around the world. India has been voluntarily contributing to the UNRWA for several years. In 2016, India contributed 1.25 million dollars towards its budget.

SMOOTH OPERATOR

  • Swaraj reminded UN how India contributes vastly to its Relief and Works Agency
     
  • She said Non-Aligned Movement nations held a special place for India
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