(September 1-15, 2016)
Indo-Iranian Cooperation
Since the past one year, India, under the leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, has begun to give immense importance towards strengthening relations with the West Asian nations. This is evidenced by the frequency of the visits of leaders not only from India but also from the countries in the mentioned region. Alongside enhancing ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, New Delhi and Tehran are also intensifying cooperation in all the fields, namely, energy, trade and commerce, and security.
Two important visits took place during late August and early mid-September. On 26 August, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Samkhani visited India and met top-level Indian officials, including Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. His visit was considered as a “follow-up” to the PM’s visit to Tehran in May. Shamkhani discussed a wide ranges of issues and most of them pertained to security challenges and terrorism. Reportedly, he sought a “counterterrorism trio with India and Russia”. Concerted efforts to bring stability in Afghanistan was another agenda of the meetings. The visiting leader also underscored the roles India and Iran can play in building a large-scale cyber security and defence capacities with an aim to “boost regional security and stability”. Further, both the countries agreed to increase their joint investments and Shamkhani hailed the Chabahar project as “symbol of constructive economic cooperation”.
In quick succession, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar visited Tehran during 11-12 September. This came about after his successful visits to Iraq (21-23 August), Syria (19-20 August) and Lebanon (17-18 August). The West Asian leaders and Akbar discussed several topics of mutual interest and enhancing security cooperation became one of the most important agendas of their meetings. As an Iran-visit itinerary, Akbar visited the Gurudwara Sahib and met the Indian community in Tehran. Considering the rise of non-state actors such as the terrorist outfit, Islamic States of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), both the countries have agreed to intensify their cooperation in military-security affairs while giving equal importance towards uplifting the socio-cultural, trade and energy ties. In all likelihood, cooperation between these two countries will increase as they, along with Afghanistan, have signed the deal for the development of Chabahar Port. India’s warming up to Iran should not be viewed in isolation as New Delhi is reaching out to almost all the countries in West Asia.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi’s Visit to India
New Delhi is strengthening its relations with another important West Asian/Middle Eastern country, Egypt. While both the countries had historical ties, the relations between the two countries did not see any significant developments in the recent past. But the bilateral ties are likely to get a boost after the visit of President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to New Delhi during 1-3 September. President Sisi, during his meeting with the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, even described both the countries as “stabilising forces in their regions”. Challenges of terrorism and radicalisation formed the core issues of discussion during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The importance given to this global phenomenon is noticeable even in the joint-statement released during Al Sisi’s visit. As a result, counterterrorism cooperation will be promoted further. Tellingly, Sisi’s statement on terrorism has been viewed important considering Egypt’s membership in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, an organisation which has come “criticising India for actions in Kashmir”. Commercial and trade cooperation is likely to be increased as the visiting president expressed his keenness to attract investments from India, particularly for his $8.2-billion New Suez Canal project. Some of the areas where one can expect more engagements include agriculture, industry, education, health, culture, tourism and technology. Scientific collaboration is another potential area of cooperation between India and Egypt. The visit of the Egyptian president, most importantly, should lead to enhancement of overall political relations between the two countries.
