1) India and Maldives to boost bilateral relations
Aimed to boost the bilateral relations that are set to mark 50 years in November, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Maldivian counterpart Dunya Maumoon held talks on 15th January. According to reports, the duo exchanged pleasantries and discussed issues of bilateral interest to both sides.
- The bilateral relations between India and Maldives have been strengthened by regular contacts at all levels. There is a regular exchange of high-level ministerial visits also. India and Maldives have consistently supported each other in multilateral fora such as the UN, the Commonwealth, the NAM and the SAARC. India was among the first to recognize Maldives after its independence in 1965 and to establish diplomatic relations with the country. India established its mission at Male in 1972.
2) Pakistan releases 172 Indian fishermen
Pakistan released 172 Indian fishermen on 15th February, as a goodwill gesture, two days after the Prime Ministers of both countries decided to resume high-level talks.
- The fishermen had been held at the Malir and Landhi District Jails in Karachi for allegedly violating territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.
3) India, Lanka sign pact on nuclear energy
India and Sri Lanka on 16th February signed nuclear agreement. The commitment was made after an official meeting between visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- The signing of an agreement on the ‘Peaceful uses of nuclear energy’ is also seen as an attempt to energise economic engagement between the two nations.
- The agreement will facilitate cooperation in the transfer and exchange of knowledge and expertise, sharing of resources, capacity building and training of personnel in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including use of radioisotopes, nuclear safety, radiation safety, nuclear security, radioactive waste management and nuclear and radiological disaster mitigation and environmental protection.
- There were also extensive discussions on enhancing connectivity and the possibility of opening more airports apart from the one in Colombo. IRCON taking up infrastructure development in Sri Lanka and the fishermen’s issue were also discussed at length. IRCON, originally the Indian Railway Construction Company Ltd, is a leading turnkey construction company in the public sector.
- The Prime Minister also accepted an invitation to visit Sri Lanka, a visit that is expected to take place in the second week of March. Sirisena’s visit to India is his first international trip since assuming the President’s office about a month ago.
4) India, Sri Lanka sign three pacts
In a sign of a closer strategic partnership between Sri Lanka’s new government and India, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, which is Sri Lanka’s first nuclear partnership with any country.
- Calling the bilateral agreement on civil nuclear cooperation “another demonstration of our mutual trust,” Mr. Modi said India and Sri Lanka had also agreed to expand defense and strategic cooperation, including a “trilateral format” with the Maldives.
- Officials on both sides said the agreement on nuclear cooperation was an initial one and would not lead to the construction of nuclear energy reactors immediately. According to an official release, the agreement “would facilitate cooperation in the transfer and exchange of knowledge and expertise, sharing of resources, capacity building and training of personnel in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including use of radioisotopes, nuclear safety, radiation safety, nuclear security, radioactive waste management and nuclear and radio logical disaster mitigation and environmental protection.”
- Srilanka’s new President Sirisena and Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the signing of three agreements on agricultural cooperation, a memorandum of understanding on Nalanda University and an agreement on cultural cooperation.
Analysis:
Relations between India and Sri Lanka have not just been reinforced during the visit of President Maithripala Sirisena but have also gained new direction and momentum. As Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour that has ethnic links to its most significant minority, India is a huge influence in the island nation’s political, economic, social and cultural consciousness, and its world view.
- Of these, the agreement on Co-operation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was the most significant as it imparts a new strategic element to bilateral relations. Since 2010, Sri Lanka has wanted to utilise nuclear energy in industrial applications as well as in fields such as medicine and agriculture. Two years ago, Colombo had indicated it was exploring such an agreement with Islamabad, with which too it has a warm bilateral relationship. Its decision to move ahead on this front with India shows the maturity of the new Sri Lankan leadership and the importance it attaches to its relations with New Delhi.
- The agreement envisages “exchange of knowledge and expertise, sharing of resources, capacity building and training of personnel in peaceful uses of nuclear energy”.
- Two years ago, Sri Lanka had also expressed safety concerns arising from the geographical proximity of the Kudankulam nuclear reactors. That the signatory to the agreement on the Sri Lankan side was Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka who had voiced the concerns, shows that Colombo is now sufficiently reassured.
- The two sides have also agreed to enhance their defence and security cooperation in the existing trilateral format with the Maldives. New Delhi should press any security concern it may have, such as that which arose with the docking of a Chinese submarine in the Colombo harbour, without dictating Sri Lanka’s choice of friends and allies.
- The travails of fishermen on both sides of the Palk Bay received attention with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Sirisena pledging to resolve them in a “constructive and humanitarian” way. Sensibly, fishermen’s associations on both sides are to continue talks begun two years ago to find their own solution. There were no public statements on the Tamil question during the President’s visit.
5) Australia India Institute opens Delhi centre
Alex Chernov, Governor of Victoria inaugurated the Delhi centre of the Australia India Institute (AII) on 18th February. Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu said India was the best destination for Australian investment, particularly for its huge pension funds that have now grown bigger than the country’s GDP.
6) Israel Defense Minister in India
Israel on 18th December backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s `Make in India` pitch and said the maiden visit by its defense minister was a sign that the defense relationship was "out of closet" now.
- Ya`alon, the first Israeli defense minister to visit India since the two countries established full diplomatic relations in 1992, is to attend the `Aero India` show and hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar. It has been India`s policy for long to keep the bilateral military ties under wraps due to international and domestic political sensitivities even though Israel is among one of the top defense suppliers to India.
- The Israel minister said his visit was part of efforts to understand what can be done under the `Make in India` initiative in a way that it can offer technological know-how in order to produce certain products in India. He hoped the issue of the ban on Israeli defense firm IMI would be "resolved in the near future". The Israeli minister said his country was "open" to all kinds of cooperation with India in the defense sector under the `Make in India` initiative.