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The foreign policy of the Modi government, also referred to as the Modi doctrine is associated with the policy initiatives made towards other states by the current government of
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
after
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
assumed the office of
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
on May 26, 2014. The Ministry of External Affairs, headed by External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, is responsible for executing the foreign policy of India. Modi's foreign policy is focused on improving relations with neighboring countries in the
Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
, engaging with the extended neighbourhoods of
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
,
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
and the major global powers. In pursuit of this, he has made official visits to
Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
,
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, and Japan within the first 100 days of his government, followed by visits to the United States,
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
, Australia, and Fiji.


Background

In his former role as
Chief Minister of Gujarat The chief minister of Gujarat is the head of government, chief executive of the government of the Indian state of Gujarat. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose Cabinet (government), council of ministers are Cabinet collective respons ...
, Modi made several foreign trips to foster business relations with major Asian economic powers. This included meetings with Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
in 2007 and 2012, which reportedly built personal rapport. He also reached out for investment deals with China and Israel, who sought to increase economic ties beyond defense and agriculture, according to Israeli Ambassador Alon Ushpiz. Modi was widely appreciated for his endeavor to organize Vibrant Gujarat, a biannual international business summit, which welcomed investment in his home state and helped build a pro-development and business friendly image.


2014 general election

In 2014 Modi did not make any major foreign policy speeches during the general election campaign, but he called out China's potential aggression along the
border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
with
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. He also focused on "illegal immigration" from
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
, particularly during the later part of his campaign in the Eastern States, including
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
and
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
, and asserted that
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
s outside the country would be able to seek asylum in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
if they required it. He acknowledged the fact that he was going to be the first
Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
to be born after independence and that it would be natural to expect a shift in world view from his predecessors'. He also pledged to have a "strong" foreign policy, which includes trading with China. He asked the External Affairs Ministry to focus more on trade deals than other geopolitical initiatives. Modi's first foreign policy outlook was revealed during the run-up for the Prime Ministerial candidate in his party in 2013 when he was in a Network 18 program called ''Think India, dialogue forum''. He mentioned the following points: * Improving relations with immediate neighbors would be his priority as peace and tranquillity in South Asia were essential in order to realize his development
agenda Agenda (: agendum) may refer to: Information management * Agenda (meeting), points to be discussed and acted upon, displayed as a list * Political agenda, the set of goals of an ideological group * Lotus Agenda, a DOS-based personal informatio ...
. * He pledged to introduce the concept of
paradiplomacy Paradiplomacy is the involvement of non-central governments in international relations. The phenomenon includes a variety of practices, from town twinning to transnational networking, decentralized cooperation, and advocacy in international summits ...
in India where each state and city would have the liberty to forge special relations with countries, federal states, or cities of their interest. * Bilateral trade would dominate relations with most countries except for a few important global powers with which
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
shares a strategic partnership. Modi responded to the congratulatory messages and phone calls from most world leaders that he had received in the aftermath of his victory.


Inauguration

Before Modi formally took office as prime minister, he invited all heads of state and heads of government of India's neighbors to his inauguration and downplayed his former reputation as a
hardline In politics, hardline or hard-line is an adjective describing a stance on an issue that is inflexible and not subject to compromise. A hardliner is a person holding such views. The stance is usually far from the centrist view. People, policies, ...
r. Almost all of the SAARC leaders attended Modi's swearing-in ceremony, along with
Navin Ramgoolam Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and physician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently serve ...
of
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
, who held observer status at the event. The guest list included Afghanistan's
Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan politician who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, including as the first president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2004 to 2014. He previously served a ...
, Bhutan's
Tshering Tobgay Tshering Tobgay (; born 19 September 1965) is a Bhutanese politician who is the seventh List of Prime Ministers of Bhutan, prime minister of Bhutan since 2024 and also served in office from 2013 to 2018. Tobgay is the leader of the People's Democr ...
, the Maldives' Abdulla Yameen, Nepal's
Sushil Koirala Sushil Prasad Koirala (; 12 August 1931 – 9 February 2016) was a Nepalese politician and the Prime Minister of Nepal from 11 February 2014 to 10 October 2015. He was also President of the Nepali Congress from 2010 to 2016, having earlier ser ...
, Pakistan's
Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...
, Sri Lanka's
Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa (; ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the ...
, and Mauritius'
Navin Ramgoolam Navinchandra Ramgoolam (born 14 July 1947) is a Mauritian politician and physician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently serve ...
. As Bangladeshi Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...
was travelling, parliamentary Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury came instead. Lobsang Sangay, the Prime Minister of Central Tibetan Administration, also attended. International media reacted positively to the ceremony after being critical of Modi's foreign policy.


Approach of P5 nations

Soon after the new government formed, world leaders expressed their willingness to work with the Modi Government to strengthen their relations with India as it would provide them with a bigger market. All five permanent member states of the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
sent their envoys to India within the first 100 days after inauguration, which is significant given India's long-standing bid to get a permanent membership at
UNSC The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
. * China sent its envoy to India first after the Modi government came into power, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited New Delhi on 8 June, held bilateral talks with his counterpart, and met with Modi. China indicated a willingness to reach a final settlement over their contested borders. * Russian Deputy chairman Dmitry Rogozin visited India on 18–19 June 2014 to reach out to the new government led by Modi. Where the two sides discussed the cooperation in joint defense production which was one of Modi's top agendas. Modi met with President
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
in July on the sidelines of
6th BRICS summit The 6th BRICS summit was the sixth annual diplomatic meeting of the BRICS, a grouping of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It was hosted by Brazil, as the first host country of the current fiv ...
in Brazil. * French Foreign Minister
Laurent Fabius Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 March 1986. Fabius was 37 years old when he was a ...
made an official visit to India from 29 June2 July and held high-level talks with both the External Affairs Minister and Modi. Strategic and defense cooperation was at the top of his agenda and he expressed his hopes of a quick completion of the Dassault Rafale Jet deal as part of the delayed Indian MMRCA project under the new government. * British Foreign Secretary
William Hague William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...
visited India on 7–8 July. During his meeting with Modi, he lobbied for the
Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, supersonic, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Syste ...
to be considered instead of the
Dassault Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French Twinjet, twin-engine, Canard (aeronautics), canard delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft designed and ...
for purchase. * Prior to his India trip, U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
emphasized the importance of US-India relations in the twenty-first century and quoted the
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
slogan from Modi's campaign "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas" (meaning "everyone's support, everyone's development") and said America shared this goal and was willing to work in full cooperation with the new government to realize it. He arrived in New Delhi on 1 August and held bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart to prepare the groundwork for Modi's USA visit and also lobbied to gain India's support for sanctions on Russia amidst the Russo-Ukrainian war. In regards to the appeal, Swaraj said: "There is no change in our policy. We think that foreign policy is in continuity. Foreign policy does not change with the change in the government."


2019 general election

In 2019 campaign, Modi has not been too much active in the election party campaign and the responsibility was taken by Amit Shah (who was then president of the party). Still, he was the prime-ministerial candidate of the party and he attacked the
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
many a times in his rallies and specially after the
2019 Pulwama attack Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Di ...
and also used Balakot airstrike as an election topic.


Inauguration

Modi, who was parliamentary leader of the
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
, started his tenure after his swearing-in as the 16th
Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
on 30 May 2019. Several other ministers were also sworn in along with Modi. The ceremony was noted by media for being the first ever swearing-in of an Indian Prime Minister to have been attended by the heads of all BIMSTEC countries.


Approach


2024 general election


Foreign policy team


2018 foreign policy team

Sushma Swaraj, one of the senior leaders of BJP, was given the portfolio of External Affairs which was going to be a very important ministry with India's growing role in international affairs. She was the first woman to hold the office. Earlier on her capacity of leader of opposition in Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014 She met a galaxy of visiting foreign leaders which apparently helped her understand foreign relations. Modi appointed
Ajit Doval Ajit Kumar Doval, Kirti Chakra, KC (born 20 January 1945) is an Indian bureaucrat and spymaster, who is currently serving as the National Security Advisor of India since 2014. A retired Indian Police Service officer of the Kerala cadre, he had p ...
, a seasoned intelligence officer, as National Security Advisor (NSA).


2024 foreign policy team

On 28 January 2015, only a day after the US President Barack Obama's successful India visit, the Modi government sacked Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh and appointed Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in her place, Jaishankar used to be as India's ambassador to the United States. Modi himself was believed to be unhappy over Singh's ability to lead the foreign office and on the other hand impressed by Jaishankar's diplomatic skills in turning the flagging relationship with the US into a flourishing partnership. His secondary aides also include Arvind Gupta (deputy NSA) and MJ Akbar (sworn in as the Minister of State for External Affairs). S. Jaishankar was appointed as Minister of External Affairs since May 2019, he succeeded Sushma Swaraj who was the External Affairs Minister in
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
's Government in his first stint. Jaishankar is the first former Foreign Secretary of India to head the Ministry of External Affairs as the Cabinet Minister. Vikram Misri is serving Foreign Secretary of India since July, 2024.


Policy initiative

Former National Security Adviser & Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, an academic at Brookings, opined that the Modi Government's foreign policy is one of "strategic incoherence", executed without an "overarching conceptual framework". There have been many policy initiatives since that has been making the headlines:


Act East policy

From the very beginning the Modi led government made it amply clear that India would focus more and more on improving relations with
ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...
, and other East Asian countries as per India's Look East policy which was formulated during PM Narasimha Rao's government in 1992 for better economic engagement with its eastern neighbours but the successive government later successfully turned it into a tool for forging strategic partnership and security cooperation with countries in that region in general and Vietnam and Japan in particular. In her recent visit to
Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, Vietnam Sushma Swaraj has stressed on the need for an "Act East Policy" that she said should replace India's over two-decade-old "Look East Policy" emphasizing a more proactive role for India in this region.


Neighbourhood first policy

One of the major policy initiatives taken by the Modi government is to focus back on its immediate neighbors in South Asia. Gujral doctrine was an important approach where India made its relation with its neighborhood which stands on five important principles. Even before becoming the prime minister,
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
hinted that his foreign policy will actively focus on improving ties with India's immediate neighbours which is being termed "neighborhood first: policy in the media" and he started well by inviting all heads of state/heads of government of South Asian countries in his inauguration and on the second day on the office he held bilateral talks with all of them individually which was dubbed as a mini SAARC summit by the media. Later during a launch event at
ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
, he asked Indian scientists to take the endeavour to develop a dedicated SAARC satellite to share the fruits of the technology like tele-medicine, e-learning, etc. with the people across South Asia to complement the currently operating Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme program in the region.


Indian Ocean outreach

The Indian Ocean region (IOR), which has long been considered as India's nautical backyard, is steadily turning into a hotspot thanks to growing Chinese strategic presence over the region's numerous strategically located archipelagos. To counter the recent moves made by China in the name of President Xi's pet
Maritime Silk Road The Maritime Silk Road or Maritime Silk Route is the maritime section of the historic Silk Road that connected Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian Peninsula, eastern Africa, and Europe. It began by the 2nd century BCE ...
project, India started to reach out its maritime neighbors in the IOR with proposals of enhanced economic and security cooperation. The policy towards IOR started to unfold during Sri Lankan president's visit to New Delhi in early February 2015. Following that Modi embarked on a three nations ''Yatraa'' (travel) to Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka, although Maldives was also initially part of this outreach, the recent political turmoil in that country led to the last-minute cancellation of the scheduled visit. Ahead of Modi's scheduled visit to Beijing in May 2015, India wanted to project that it commanded a strategic supremacy over the IOR and that its relations with its maritime neighbors were far more cordial than that of China's with particular reference to
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
.


Project Mausam

On the back of growing Chinese naval activity in the Indian Ocean region, which India considers its area of responsibility, the Modi administration has introduced Project Mausam, which is believed to rival the Chinese
Maritime Silk Road The Maritime Silk Road or Maritime Silk Route is the maritime section of the historic Silk Road that connected Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian Peninsula, eastern Africa, and Europe. It began by the 2nd century BCE ...
(MSR) initiative. ''Mausam'' (Hindi: मौसम) which means weather or season in many South and Southeast Asian languages is highlighted because of its profound role in cultural exchanges in the region as in ancient time maritime trade used to depend on seasonal monsoon winds. The project, which is still in the evolving phase, is being planned with the Cultural Ministry, that will focus on the ancient trade and cultural linkages with emphasis on future maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region stretching from Southeast Asia to East Africa with the central location of India, from where the ocean derived its name.


Cooperation with Pacific Islands

Modi chose to visit Fiji soon after democracy was re-established in the island country after 8 years. There apart from the bilateral meeting, he also met heads of state/government from 14 pacific island states to enhance India's engagement in the region and proposed a 'Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation' (FIPIC) be held on a regular basis. He conveyed there India's keenness to work closely with Pacific Island nations to advance their development priorities. In this regard a number of measures to strengthen India's partnership in the region were proposed that includes setting up of a 'special fund of $1 billion' for adapting climate change vis-a-vis clean energy, establishing a 'trade office' in India, 'Pan Pacific Islands e-network' to close the physical distance between the islands by improving digital connectivity, extending visa on arrival at Indian airports for all the fourteen Pacific Island countries, 'space cooperation' in space technology applications for improving the quality of life on the islands, 'training to diplomats' from Pacific Island countries to increase mutual understanding. He also expressed his willingness to host the leaders in any of India's coastal town for the next summit in 2015. It was quite significant to see Chinese President Xi following Modi's trail visited Fiji on 21 November (just 2 days after Modi's trip) to meet a similar gathering of leaders indicating a struggle for influence between the two Asian giants in the island countries of south pacific.


Fast-track Diplomacy

On completion of the first 100 days of Modi government, the External Affairs Ministry published a booklet called "Fast Track Diplomacy" show-casing the achievement made in the foreign policy arena. In her first media interaction, the minister Sushma Swaraj said the catchphrase for her tenure was "fast-track diplomacy" and said it had three faces – proactive, strong and sensitive. Since taking office the External Affairs Minister held a round-table meeting with all Indian heads of missions to the SAARC region, ASEAN region and the Middle East separately as a follow-up measure to carry forward the leads gained by high-profile visits and exchanges.


Para Diplomacy

One of the innovative ideas of Modi government is the introduction of elements of
paradiplomacy Paradiplomacy is the involvement of non-central governments in international relations. The phenomenon includes a variety of practices, from town twinning to transnational networking, decentralized cooperation, and advocacy in international summits ...
in India's foreign policy where each state and cities would be encouraged to forge special relation with countries or federal states of another country or even cities of their interest. During the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping,
Town twinning A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...
agreement between
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
and Shanghai,
Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
and
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
and a similar 'sister states' agreement between
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
and
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
of China will likely to be signed. Earlier
Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...
signed a partnership agreement with
Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
, Japan.


East Asia and South East Asia policy

From the very beginning, the Modi led government made it amply clear that India would focus more and more on improving relation with
ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...
and other East Asian countries as per India's Look East policy which was formulated during Narasimha Rao's government in 1992 for better economic engagement with its eastern neighbors, but the successive government later successfully turned it into a tool for forging strategic partnership and security cooperation with countries in that region in general and Vietnam and Japan in particular. In her recent visit to
Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, Vietnam Sushma Swaraj has stressed on the need for an Act East policy that she said should replace India's over two-decade-old Look East Policy emphasizing a more proactive role for India in this region. East Asia being the major focus area of his foreign policy, Modi and his foreign minister chose several Asian countries for their initial bilateral visits. He has made state visits to Bhutan and Nepal and Japan within the first 100 days of his government followed by visits of Myanmar and Australia and also hosted Asia leaders like Australian Prime Minister
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...
, Chinese President
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng apart from inviting SAARC leaders in his inauguration ceremony. External Affairs Minister Swaraj has also made official visits to several Asian capitals like
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
, Bangladesh,
Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
, Nepal, Naypidaw, Myanmar, Singapore,
Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, Vietnam,
Manama Manama ( ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and List of cities in Bahrain, largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is ...
, Bahrain,
Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...
, Afghanistan,
Dushanbe Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...
, Tajikistan, Male, Maldives,
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
, United Arab Emirates
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, South Korea and Beijing, China.


South China Sea disputes

Though India's exclusive economic zone does not extend into the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
, the region is geopolitically important to India as a high volume of its trade passes through the South China Sea. Modi intends India to act as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific Region as a part of Modi's underlying Act East foreign policy initiative .


South Asia policy

Even before becoming the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
hinted that his foreign policy will actively focus on improving ties with India's immediate neighbors which is being termed as "neighborhood first" policy in the media and he started well by inviting all heads of state/heads of government of South Asian countries in his inauguration and on the second day on the office he held bilateral talks with all of them individually which was dubbed as a mini SAARC summit by the media. Later during a launch event at
ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
, he has asked Indian scientists to take the endeavor to develop a dedicated ''SAARC satellite'', to share the fruits of the technology like tele-medicine, e-learning etc. with the people across South Asia to complement the currently operating Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme program in the region.


West Asia policy

Indian External Affairs Ministry refers to the region of 'Middle East' as West Asia and not as the Middle East which is a more popular attribution, particularly in the western countries. The region plays a vital role in India's economy as it supplies nearly two-thirds of India's total oil import, bilateral trade is also flourishing in recent years particularly with UAE and other Gulf states. Over the years millions of Indians mostly working class have migrated to the gulf looking for jobs and they account for a sizeable share in the total remittances received from abroad.


Link West policy

In an attempt to strengthen ties with India's western neighbors specially the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
countries, Modi proposed this policy to complement his Act East policy concerning East Asia. Although it is called 'Link West' (West of India) which gives it a bigger geographical connotation, it is most likely to focus on the middle-east and some of India's strategic thinkers are calling it as Modi's middle-east policy. The West Asia Approach of India is working successfully and its relations with the Middle East are improving since Modi came in power. The "West Asia Approach" of India is now its key strategy to win the Middle East. Indian foreign policy makers say that India's interests in the GCC countries are intimately linked with its energy security, trade, employment for Indians and remittances while Middle Eastern foreign policy experts believe that India has showcased itself as "Security Partner" during Modi's visit to UAE. Given the economic and human security interests, the stability and security of the GCC countries is crucial for India because a huge flow of remittances comes from GCC to the Indian economy.


Stand against ISIS

On 16 December 2014, Home Minister
Rajnath Singh Rajnath Singh (; born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician and lecturer who is serving the Defence Minister of India since 20 May 2019. He was also the Deputy Leader of the House, Lok Sabha since 2014. He also served the Home Minister in th ...
announced in the Parliament that
ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
is banned as a terrorist organization under the United Nations schedule. Following the arrest of few Indian individuals with ISIS connections, on 26 February 2015, India put fresh bans on 'The Islamic States/Islamic States of Iraq and Syria/Islamic States of Iraq and Levant' with all its manifestation and all its affiliates under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.


2014 Israel-Hamas conflict

At the height of the tension between Israel and Hamas in July, India offered a rhetorical condemnation holding both sides responsible for erupting violence and asked Israel to stop "disproportionate use of force" in Gaza which was read by many as departure from tradition of more vocal supports for the Palestinian cause. External Affairs Minister Swaraj insisted that "there is absolutely no change in India's policy towards Palestine, which is that we fully support the Palestinian cause while maintaining good relations with Israel. " clarifying India's current position on the issue. Sushma Swaraj, a seasoned parliamentarian, had herself blocked the opposition demand in
Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...
for passing a resolution condemning Israel for 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict by saying that "India has friendly relation with both Israel and Palestine and therefore any such move may impact its friendship negatively". Although later in a symbolic gesture, India joined other BRICS nations in voting at the
United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a United Nations Regional Gro ...
for a probe into the alleged human rights violation in Gaza which generated mixed response among media and analysts in India.


Overseas Indian crisis

;Iraq With the rise of
ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
in northern Iraq, where hundreds of thousands of Indian migrant workers live, the security of those overseas Indians came under threat. On 16 June, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) set up a 24-hour helpline at the Indian embassy in
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
for the assistance of Indian nationals stranded in the conflict cities. It has been reported that 46 Indian nurses were abducted from the Iraqi town of Mosul who were later freed and flown back to India. Moreover, 39 Indian workers mainly from
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
were taken hostages and the fate of those workers still not known. There were widespread speculations about their lives and on 27 November 2014 ''
ABP News ABP News is an Indian Hindi-language free-to-air television news channel owned by ABP Group. Initially launched as Star News in 1998, it was later acquired by the ABP Group (ABP). It won the Best Hindi News Channel award in the 21st editi ...
'' reported, citing Bangladeshi migrant co-workers, death of all the 39 men. Although the following day, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Swaraj made a statement to the
parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
neither rejecting nor confirming such possibility and re-assured the nation about MEA's commitment for continuing search for the Indians in Iraq. ;Libya A similar situation occurred in Libya where many Indian nationals are stranded because of the armed conflict that broke in
Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...
and other parts of the country. Swaraj informed the parliament that her ministry was evaluating all possibilities to secure the safe evacuation of all Indians stranded in both Iraq and Libya. A chartered flight from
Djerba Djerba (; , ; ), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. Administratively, it is part of Medenine Governorate. The island h ...
, Tunisia brought over 200 nationals back to India. A further 216 nationals left on 8 August, with a total of another 1,500 nationals having been evacuated. About 3,000 more nationals registered with the embassy in Tripoli to return. On 5 August 44 nurses returned to India on a special
Air India Air India is the flag carrier of India with its main hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and secondary hubs at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, alo ...
flight; they were predominantly from Kerala with some from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. A further three Goans were reported to be safe in Libya with full employment and had not requested repatriation. Goa's Director of NRI Affairs U. D. Kamat said that it was ascertaining whether there were Goan workers in the country. ;Yemen After the outbreak of aerial attacks by the Saudi led coalition following the coup by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Government of India launched a massive rescue operation called '' Operation Raahat'' (meaning: Relief) to save hundreds of non-residential Indians located there. Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh himself oversaw the entire rescue operation right from the battle ground towns of
Sana'a Sanaa, officially the Sanaa Municipality, is the ''de jure'' capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate, but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. At an elevation ...
and
Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
in Yemen and the Indian base of operation in
Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...
. In the process, the
Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
deployed its front line ships such as , INS Sumitra and others while the Indian Air Force too deployed its C-17 Globemaster tactical airlifter to airlift the stranded Indians and the national carrier
Air India Air India is the flag carrier of India with its main hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and secondary hubs at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, alo ...
also took an active part by ferrying passengers. The operation was highly successful and received huge acclamation from across the globe as it rescued not only Indians but thousands of foreigners stranded in the war torn country too.


Relations with North and South America


United States

During the run-up to the general election there was wide-ranging scepticism regarding future of the strategic bilateral relation under Modi's premiership as in 2005 he was, while
Chief Minister of Gujarat The chief minister of Gujarat is the head of government, chief executive of the government of the Indian state of Gujarat. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose Cabinet (government), council of ministers are Cabinet collective respons ...
, denied a U.S. visa during the Bush administration for his alleged poor human rights records. However, in the run-up to the 2014 election, which polling suggested Modi's BJP was favored to win, US Ambassador Nancy Powell and other Western diplomats began outreach to Modi. Following his election as the Prime Minister of India, President Obama congratulated him over the telephone and invited him to visit the US. U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
visited New Delhi on 1 August to prepare the grounds for Modi's first-ever US visit as prime minister. In September 2014, days before visiting the US in an interview to
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
’s
Fareed Zakaria Fareed Rafiq Zakaria (; born January 20, 1964) is an Indian-born American journalist, political commentator, and author. He is the host of CNN's '' Fareed Zakaria GPS'' and writes a weekly paid column for ''The Washington Post.'' He has been a c ...
, Modi said that "India and the United States are bound together, by history and culture" but acknowledged that there have been "ups and downs" in relations. Modi travelled to US from 27 to 30 September 2014, beginning with his maiden address in the
United Nations general assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
followed by attending a gala public reception by the Indian American community in New York's
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
before heading Washington, D.C. for the bilateral talk with Obama. While there, Modi also met several American business leaders and invited them to join his ambitious Make in India program in a bid to make India a manufacturing hub. Later President Obama greeted Modi by calling him a "Man of Action" during their brief interaction at the Gala dinner hosted by Myanmar's president on the eve of
ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...
East Asia Summit The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian and Oceanian regions, based on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations#ASEAN Plus Three and A ...
this was their second meeting since Obama hosted a rare dinner for Modi at the White House on 29 September 2014. On 9 December 2014
US Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
confirmed Richard Rahul Verma as the US ambassador to India, the first Indian American to hold the office, signalling the Obama administration's will to elevate the relation with India to a newer height. He assumed office in the US Embassy in New Delhi on 19 December 2014. Modi invited President Obama to be the first US president to grace the 66th Republic Day celebration as Chief guest, an honour typically reserved for India's closest ally. President Obama was the first US president to visit India twice in office and the two leaders now scheduled to hold back to back summits within six months which is being referred as Modi's diplomatic coup by the media. "This Republic Day, we hope to have a friend over… invited President Obama to be the 1st US president to grace the occasion as chief guest."- Modi tweeted. On 26 June 2017, Modi met with U.S. President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
in Washington, DC where they discussed trade, specifically airplanes and natural gas, and terrorism. During the Trump administration, the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a comprehensive global strategic partnership. The two sides share the same position on combating " radical Islamic terrorism" and promoting a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.


Brazil

Narendra Modi met the Brazilian President,
Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the only woman to have held the ...
on the sidelines of the
6th BRICS summit The 6th BRICS summit was the sixth annual diplomatic meeting of the BRICS, a grouping of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It was hosted by Brazil, as the first host country of the current fiv ...
in
Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
, Brazil, in July 2014. Describing Brazil as a key global partner for India, Modi noted that as two democracies and major emerging economies, India and Brazil not only had vast potential for bilateral cooperation, but also to strengthen each other in international forums and advance the interest of the developing world at large. President Rousseff emphasized the special place this relationship enjoyed in Brazil's foreign policy, because of the potential for bilateral cooperation and the international significance of their partnership. She congratulated Narendra Modi for his victory in the elections and wished him all success for India's progress and development. The two leaders also agreed to take steps to further expand and diversify trade and investment flows and deepen cooperation in agriculture and dairy science, conventional and renewable energy, space research and applications, defence,
cyber security Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...
and environment conservation. More recently, in January 2020, Brazilian President
Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...
made his first official visit to Modi's India. Considered as a particularly warm welcome by the visiting delegation — therefore kept in high regard since then —, the reception helped Bolsonaro's chancellery gain some traction overseas, overcoming a persisting trend of Brazilian international isolation started with the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires. Later in the same year, in the context of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, both governments launched cooperation programs aimed at addressing the ongoing health and sanitary crisis.


Canada

In April 2015 Modi visited Canada and was the first bilateral visit to that country by an Indian Prime Minister in 42 years. India made a nuclear deal with the Canada's biggest producer of uranium, Cameco, signed a $280 million, five-year deal to supply uranium to fuel Indian nuclear reactors. The long-term deal announced later that Cameco will sell 7.1 million pounds of uranium to India, through 2020. Modi held bilateral talks with Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...
, and signed various MoUs like in areas of cybersecurity, skill development, cooperation in the railways and civil aviation front. Modi received "rockstar" reception in Canada where he addressed a crowd of over 10,000 at the Ricoh Coliseum Stage in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. On September 18, 2023, Canadian prime minister
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...
stated that Canadian intelligence has identified a credible link between the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Indian government, calling on India to cooperate with Canada in investigating the murder. In response to the alleged killing, the Canadian foreign minister
Mélanie Joly Mélanie Joly (; born January 16, 1979) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has been serving as the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Minister of Industry, Registrar General of Canada, and Minister responsible for the Economic D ...
ordered the expulsion of a top Indian diplomat in Canada, who headed the operations of the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency, in Canada.


Relations with European Nations


France

France is a valuable strategic partner of India in western Europe. Both countries have invested political capital to deepen collaboration in the cultural, economic, social, technological and military realms. Modi met French President Francois Hollande at the 2014 G-20 Summit in Brisbane, and discussed bilateral strategic, space and defence issues besides committing to global cooperation against terrorism. Following the January 2015 ''
Charlie Hebdo ''Charlie Hebdo'' (; ) is a French satirical weekly magazine, featuring cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes. The publication has been described as anti-racist, sceptical, secular, libertarian, and within the tradition of left-wing radicalism ...
'' terror attack in Paris, Modi condemned the act of terror and called Hollande to convey condolences on behalf of the people of India as well as express solidarity with the people of France. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius made several visits to New Delhi to unlock stalled negotiations regarding
Dassault Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French Twinjet, twin-engine, Canard (aeronautics), canard delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft designed and ...
fighter aircraft for
Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...
and the 9900 MW nuclear power plant in Jaitapur by the French firm
Areva Areva S.A. was a French multinational group specializing in nuclear power, active between 2001 and 2018. It was headquartered in Courbevoie, France. Before its 2016 corporate restructuring, Areva was majority-owned by the French state through t ...
. In April 2015, Modi choose Paris as his first destination in Europe as part of his ''Link West'' outreach. Modi's visit resulted in a government-to-government deal for 36
Dassault Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French Twinjet, twin-engine, Canard (aeronautics), canard delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft designed and ...
fighter aircraft in fly-away condition. India and France signed an initial agreement between Nuclear Power Corporation of India and
Areva Areva S.A. was a French multinational group specializing in nuclear power, active between 2001 and 2018. It was headquartered in Courbevoie, France. Before its 2016 corporate restructuring, Areva was majority-owned by the French state through t ...
regarding the setting up of Jaitapur nuclear power plant. Modi toured the aircraft assembly facilities of
Dassault Aviation Dassault Aviation SA () is a French Aerospace manufacturer, manufacturer of military aircraft and business jets. It was founded in 1929 by Marcel Dassault, Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (Marcel Bloch Aircraft Company). After ...
in
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
and
Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
in
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
where he promoted the '' Make in India'' campaign by urging the aerospace giants to cultivate manufacturing opportunities in India (Airbus committed to increase its outsourcing from India from the current level of US$400 million to US$2 billion by 2020). Modi travelled to
Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
in the north of France to pay hommage at Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial dedicated to the remembrance of 4742 soldiers of the
British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...
who died during World War I & II. On 30 November 2015, Indian Prime-Minister Narendra Modi travelled to France for a 2-day visit to attend the ''COP 21''
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris, France, from 30 November to 12 December 2015. It was the 21st yearly session of the United Nations Climate Change conference, Conference of the Parties (COP) ...
in Paris. Narendra Modi and François Hollande jointly invited over 100 world leaders to join ''InSPA'' (International Agency for Solar Policy & Application) – a global initiative to promote low-carbon renewable solar energy technologies. When the Climate Change Treaty itself was under threat with President Trump announcing the withdrawal of USA -one of the major polluters as such, USA did become a part of the International Solar Alliance and lauded the efforts of the Indian leader. India invited French President Francois Hollande to be the chief guest at the
Republic Day parade The Delhi Republic Day parade is the largest and most important of the parades marking the Republic Day celebrations in India. The parade takes place every year on 26 January at Kartavya Path, New Delhi. It is the main attraction of India's R ...
in New Delhi on 26 January 2016. The invitation was conveyed through the visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, making France the only country to be invited a record setting 5 times to the highly symbolic national ceremonial event.


United Kingdom

UK Prime Minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Modi soon after his landslide victory in the
election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
. The two leaders met for the first time on 14 November 2014 on the sidelines of the G20 leaders' summit in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, where the British Prime Minister said improving relations with India was the "top priority" of UK foreign policy. He also invited Modi to visit his country at the earliest. Earlier Deputy Prime Minister
Nick Clegg Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British retired politician and media executive who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015 and as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015. H ...
attributed the growth story of South Asia, which was going to grow fastest in 2014–15 outside the East Asia region, to the election of Prime Minister Modi and his recent efforts to turn around the economy. The British Government hailed Modi's Make in India policy and planned to invest in Rajasthan. Modi paid a state visit to the UK in late 2015, meeting
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
and prime minister David Cameron. On 13 November 2015 Modi addressed a rally at the new
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
at
Wembley Park Wembley Park is a district of the London Borough of Brent, England. It is roughly centred on Bridge Road, a mile northeast of Wembley town centre and northwest from Charing Cross. The name Wembley Park refers to the area that, at its broad ...
, north-west London. 60,000 people, mostly
British Indian British Indians are citizens of the United Kingdom (UK) whose ancestral roots are from India. Currently, the British Indian population exceeds 2 million people in the UK, making them the single largest Ethnic groups in the United Kingdo ...
s, attended.


Germany

In April 2015 Modi visited Germany where he held bilateral talks with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...
. Modi also inaugurated Hannover Messe, Hannover Fair 2015-world's largest industrial fair, where India was the partner country. Modi made the strongest pitch for the Make in India initiative in Hannover fair. He said, "The entire world is looking at India. Demography, democracy and demand are attracting the world to India." There were announcements of strengthened cooperation in sectors like energy, skill development, science & technology, and the Modi government's initiatives like Digital India and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Clean India.


Relations with Eurasia


Russia

Russia, India's long-term strategic partner for more than half a century, enjoyed a degree of special and privileged cooperation unparalleled in India's foreign relations during cold war. But over the years especially after their end of the cold war, the relation experienced strain as India started diversifying its defence purchases from a totally Soviet-dominated one. But with Putin and Modi, both with Strongman (politics), strongman image at their home country, at the helm of affairs in their respective foreign policy, it is expected to get a push. During the 20th 'India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation' (IRIGC-TEC) held on 5 November 2014 in New Delhi Modi met the Russian deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and had reassured the visiting side that the new dispensation in New Delhi will continue to attach very high importance to the time-tested and special strategic partnership with Russia. The annual commission meeting had identified new areas of cooperation including prioritising the International North-South Corridor Project (INSTC), start negotiating on a Free Trade Agreement between India and the Eurasian customs union, focusing on enhancing economic partnership in areas like energy, civil aviation and diamond trade along with Russian participation in Modi's smart city project. Earlier on his first meeting with Putin, emphasising Russia's indispensable position in India's foreign policy Modi went on to say that even a child in India considers Russia as its ''best friend''. This meeting in Brazil at the sidelines of BRICS summit served well as the familiarisation between the two leaders. President Putin visited New Delhi on 11 December 2014 for the annual summit, first after Modi assumed office. Trade and energy cooperation dominated the talks as they set a target of US$30 billion of bilateral trade by 2025 with an equal amount of investment in each other's economy. On the backdrop of international sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Putin earlier signed a gas deal with China worth US$400 billion believed to be heavily tilted in China's favour. India too was keen to strike an energy agreement on line of above. During the summit, both sides agreed for a joint feasibility study of building a gas pipeline through China. The two sides signed a total of 16 agreements and memorandum of understanding on various fields. Agreements on long term oil and gas cooperation have been signed between ONGC Videsh and Essar Oil of India and Russia's Rosneft, Gasprom Putin also vowed to install 10 more nuclear reactors in next 20 years including adding more units to Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, Kudankulam plant. Another burgeoning aspect in bilateral relations emerged in the form of Diamond trading, While Russia is the largest producer of raw diamond, India is the global hub of cutting and polishing raw diamonds. Russia has agreed to export raw diamonds to India directly bypassing mediators like Dubai and Belgium. On this occasion, the two leaders also attended a ''World Diamond Conference'' held in New Delhi. The Crimean leader Sergey Aksyonov, who accompanied Putin in New Delhi, met several business delegations to discuss the opportunity in the Black sea region although it was termed as unofficial. This has once again raised concerns in Washington, D.C. regarding India's stand on Crimea.


Defence ties

In the summit, Modi mentioned his experience with the Russian built carrier INS Vikramaditya as an example of burgeoning military cooperation and remarked that "even though India's options have increased, Russia will continue to remain its topmost defence partner" signalling a long term defence relation. The two sides agreed on joint production of Mil Mi-17 and Kamov Ka-226 helicopters with Russian technology in India in compliance with Modi's ''Make in India'' program and also fast forwarding the long pending major projects like the joint development and production of Il-214, light transport aircraft. The final design contract of fifth generation joint fighter platform Sukhoi FGFA, Sukhoi-HAL FGFA is expected to be signed soon as it already lagging by more than 2 years. India is set to lease a second nuclear powered Akula-class submarine from Russia after INS Chakra (2011) which is already in service. Weeks before Putin's visit news of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's Pakistan visit on 20 November 2014, first such visit in more than 40 years, when the two sides inked a defence cooperation pact. Media reports suggested that Russia was mulling a possible sale of Mil Mi-35, Mi 35 attack copter, the first ever combat platform, to India's arch rival Pakistan. These developments have raised concerns in the Indian strategic community as some see this as a counter move to growing Indo-US defence collaboration. Although the official response was much restrained as they termed it 'significant'. Such apprehensions in India about Russia's strategic goals in the region was by the Russian ambassador Kaladin as he said that it will not do anything detrimental to India's security. Later Putin himself in an interview with India's ''Press Trust of India, PTI'' news agency said that 'Russia-Pakistan ties in India's long-term interest'.


Relations with Africa


India-Africa Forum Summit

The third summit in a rotation basis was scheduled to be held in New Delhi, India in December 2014. But lately, Syed Akbaruddin, the official spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs (India), Indian Foreign Ministry told the media that the scheduled summit is now postponed to 2015 and will include more no. of African leaders, unlike previous two occasions where the event was restricted to only 10–15 African countries. Although media reports claimed that the Ebola outbreak in Western African nations played a key role behind the postponement of the summit. The summit is now rescheduled on 26–30 October 2015.


Mauritius

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
was the only country outside South Asia whose head of government attended Modi's swearing-in ceremony in Delhi. With Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin, people of Indian origin constituting a large share of its population Mauritius has very good bilateral relations with New Delhi. Swaraj made her maiden trip as foreign minister to the island country on 2 November 2014 to attend the celebration of Apravasi Divas, marking 180 years since the first Indian indentured labourers arrived in Mauritius. There she had called on President Rajkeswur Purryag and Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam to discuss bilateral and regional issues of common interest. On top of her agenda was talk on cooperation between the
Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
and Mauritian Coast Guard to ensure the safety and security of the strategically vital Indian Ocean region. In support of her stress on the importance of maritime cooperation three major List of active Indian Navy ships, Indian war ships were docked in Mauritian waters including a destroyer , a frigate and the fleet tanker . Modi made his first state visit to the island country in March 2015 as part of his larger outreach to India's maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean where he participated in the Mauritius National Day celebration in Port Louis on 12 March 2015. He was also present during the commissioning ceremony of MCGS Barracuda, the Patrol boat, offshore patrol vessels (OPV) that Mauritius bought from Kolkata based GRSE shipyard. The ship was earlier handed over on 20 December 2014 which marked India's first warship export.


Multilateral Engagements

India, as one of leading developing countries, plays an active role in important multilateral forums for global governance such as United Nations, World Trade Organization, G20 leaders summit,
East Asia Summit The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian and Oceanian regions, based on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations#ASEAN Plus Three and A ...
, BRICS summit of emerging economies, Commonwealth of Nations and often seen as a 'Third World voice'. Apart from these big platforms India also engaged in many regional groupings like the BASIC, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Indian Ocean Rim Association, IBSA Dialogue Forum, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Mekong–Ganga Cooperation, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, BIMSTEC among others.


BRICS summit

Modi in his maiden speech at the BRICS, a group of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, called for brotherhood among the member states citing ''Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'', an ancient Indian concept meaning the entire world is one family, to unitedly face the global challenges. India together with its BRICS partner working toward the launching of a financial institute rivalling the western dominated World Bank and IMF which was first proposed during the 4th BRICS summit, New Delhi summit in 2012 by the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In the
6th BRICS summit The 6th BRICS summit was the sixth annual diplomatic meeting of the BRICS, a grouping of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It was hosted by Brazil, as the first host country of the current fiv ...
held on 14–26 July in Fortaleza, Brazil the group have agreed to establish the bank with a corpus of US$100 billion. The bank would be named the New Development Bank as suggested by the Indian side but Modi government has failed to bag the bank's headquarter for New Delhi which would be located in Shanghai, China. * Later at an event in
Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
BRICS leaders met the UNASUR heads of state/heads of government. At the same time, the Ministry of External Affairs added Spanish to its list of available languages, which the ''Hindustan Times'' read as "indicative of the government's intent to go beyond Europe, Asia and the US to forge diplomatic and trade ties with Latin American nations." He travelled there via Germany.


Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit

India is now a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which is known to be a China-backed bloc for military and energy cooperation. It held observer status from 2005 and publicly expressed its wish for a full membership. India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members on 9 June 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Although Russia had all along backed India's entry it was Beijing's reservation which held it so long. However Chinese president
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
informed Modi during 6th BRICS summit, BRICS summit in Brazil that it is ready to welcome India together with Pakistan to project a united front against Islamic extremism in Central Asia including Afghanistan especially after NATO withdrawal. On 11–12 September Minister of External Affairs (India), EAM Sushma Swaraj attended the 2014 SCO summit, Dushanbe summit in Tajikistan where India formally put its paper for a full membership and it became likely that it would be granted so according to Chinese officials. Modi participated at the heads of government summit in Astana, Kazakhstan in December.


United Nations general assembly

Modi delivered his maiden speech in the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly on 27 September 2014, where he called for reform and expansion of
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
including India's long-standing demand of a permanent membership. He expressed his concerns over the relevance of a 20th-century setup in the 21st century and the need to evaluate the UN's performance in the past 70 years. He had also argued why the UN should serve as "G-All" for global governance instead of several parallel sub-groupings like G7, G20, etc. In the wake of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIS threat in West Asia and similar in other parts of the globe he urged for immediate implementation of 'Comprehensive on International Terrorism' by the UN and offered India's pro-active role in it citing India as a victim of terrorism for decades. Prior to his speech he along with External Affairs Minister Swaraj met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and discussed UN governance relating issues. Ridiculing the possibility of any multilateral intervention, a demand Nawaz Sharif, Sharif has made in his address at the UNGA on 26 September, on Kashmir related matter he stated that his government is ready for 'bilateral talk' to Pakistan provided Pakistan should cultivate a suitable environment for talks by giving up terrorism policy against India. Modi commented briefly on climate change and use of clean energy. He also asked world leaders and UN officials for observing International Yoga Day, emphasizing the importance of incorporating Yoga in modern-day lifestyle. At the sidelines, he held bilateral meetings with Bangladeshi Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...
, Sri Lankan President
Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa (; ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the ...
and Nepali Prime Minister
Sushil Koirala Sushil Prasad Koirala (; 12 August 1931 – 9 February 2016) was a Nepalese politician and the Prime Minister of Nepal from 11 February 2014 to 10 October 2015. He was also President of the Nepali Congress from 2010 to 2016, having earlier ser ...
taking his 'neighbourhood first' policy forward even in New York City. But there was no meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...
following the recent low in the relation. Later he also met where Benjamin Netanyahu, in a first meeting in 11 years between the two heads of government, the Israeli Prime Minister who had highlighted the potential of the bilateral relation saying "sky is the limit".


ASEAN-India summit

Association of South-East Asian Nations or ASEAN is the 10 member block, it is one of the most successful regional block in the world. India started looking toward the group seriously from 1992 with the launch of 'Look East policy' and now it occupies the central position in India's policy Southeast Asia. From 2002 onward India and ASEAN started holding an annual summit at the sidelined of ASEAN summit showing the growing level of engagement between the two sides. At the ASEAN, 12th India-ASEAN summit, which was Modi's first appearance in an ASEAN meet, he called for greater connectivity with the Southeast Asian countries and mentioned that "India and ASEAN can be 'great partners'". Stressing on the importance ASEAN commands in India's foreign policy Modi has repeatedly remarked that his government has in the last 6 months made relation with ASEAN a top priority and turned India's two-decade old 'Look East policy' into 'Act East policy' which reflects a renewed momentum in India's approach toward ASEAN nations. The two sides also discussed the scope of extending the existing free trade agreement on the service sector as well and ways to increase India-ASEAN Free Trade Area, India-ASEAN trade which is expected to reach US$100 billion in 2015. Modi also stressed on three 'C's to strengthen the relation and those are commerce, connectivity and cultural links. In the sidelines of ASEAN summit Modi, also held several bilateral meetings with his counterparts including Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah and South Korean President Park Geun-hye. ;ASEAN Regional Forum Earlier Swaraj had attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 2014 ASEAN Regional Forum followed by the related East Asia Summit, EAS Foreign Ministers meeting, held from 8–11 August in Naypidaw, Myanmar, which was her first ever appearance in multilateral forums after becoming India's foreign affairs head. At the sidelines of the multilateral meetings, she had also held bilateral meetings with her counterparts from seven countries including China, Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia. In regards to the controversy of territorial ownership in the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
, a contentious issue impacting most
ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...
member states, where ONGC Videsh has an investment in oil blocks, Ministry of External Affairs (India), MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said: "India is not a party to the dispute in the South China Sea. We feel that the dispute should be resolved between those who are party to it in a peaceful manner and it should be in accordance with international law".


East Asia summit

East Asia Summit (EAS) which is an ASEAN led dialogue forum comprises 18 countries, 10 core ASEAN nations along with Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the United States. Over the years EAS has become the most important multilateral body in the Asia Pacific region for discussing security, trade and commerce, environment and others, unlike APEC which is purely economic in nature. Modi participated in the
ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...
East Asia Summit The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian and Oceanian regions, based on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations#ASEAN Plus Three and A ...
in Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar in November which was his second major multilateral even after 6th BRICS summit, BRICS in July. Describing the importance of the EAS in managing regional security, Modi mentioned "No other forum brings together such a large collective weight of global population, youth, economy and military strength. Nor is any other forum so critical for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia-Pacific and the world". With a veiled reference of the Territorial disputes in the South China Sea, issue of South China Sea Modi has asked the global community for respecting maritime norms and regulations and stressed on the importance of maintaining free and secured sea-lines of communication for regular trade and commerce. He made a remark that "In a world of interdependence and globalisation, there is no option but to follow international laws and norms. This also applies to maritime security. For this reason, following international law and norms is important for peace and stability in the South China Sea as well". Modi also focused on the role of EAS member countries to tackle the menace of terrorism in the region. Modi also highlighted the re-opening of Nalanda University and the role of all EAS member states into it to showcase the joint effort of the block. Among others, the issue of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was discussed in details during the summit. In the sidelines of EAS Modi also held several bilateral meetings with his counterparts including Russia Premier Dmitry Medvedev, The Philippines President Benigno Aquino III, Benigno Aquino, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.


G-20 leaders summit

G20 or the Group of 20 leading economies (advanced and emerging markets) of the world formed after the 2008 financial crisis for international financial governance. India which ranks 5 in terms of nominal GDP and the fastest growing economy plays an important role in the group since it began in 2008. For the first time in 2014, India was represented by Prime Minister Modi unlike all the previous summits when Dr. Manmohan Singh, an economist, used to be the Prime Minister. The host and President of 2014 G-20 Brisbane summit, 2014 summit Australia's
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...
intended the summit to focus exclusively on revamping the crisis prone fragile economy and to add US$2 trillion in the global economy by additional 2% global GDP growth rate for the next five years but countries like the US were keener to discuss issues of climate change and reduction of carbon emissions as it sealed a similar pact with China. India's interest was also aligned with Abbott as it wanted to reboot its economy and return to the high growth trajectory soon. Modi became the Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy, winning the highest number of votes in its history, and was the most sought after world leader at the G20 in Brisbane. ''The Guardian'' called Modi the ''G20's political rock star'', while commenting on Modi's popularity in Brisbane. His personal rapport with host Australian Prime Minister
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...
was something to watch out for. Abbott who was meeting Modi for the third time, after his New Delhi trip in September and in Nay Pyi Daw just 2 days ago, extended a warm hug to Modi while welcoming world leaders in the summit venue in Brisbane. This also generated in the Australian media circle as there was 'no hug' even for Abbott's long-time friend Cameron. Modi, on his longest trip of 10 days to three different countries, met leaders from 40 different countries. Thereafter he visited Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra in what is being referred to as his 'diplomatic juggernaut'. The issue of Black money, black or unaccounted money kept in tax havens (countries that allow foreigners to dump huge unaccounted money) abroad was also raised by Modi which is also a burning issue in India's domestic polity. He also stressed on the need of changing laws in certain countries to allow better information sharing of black money kept abroad as it is also linked to the terror funding. India the world's largest recipient of remittances with $71 billion sent last year, pushed hard for the reduction in the remittance costs of non-residents at the G20 summit, asking it to work on steps to reduce costs in sending money home from abroad which is as high as 10 per cent in some countries. Earlier India has been able to convince Saudi Arabia to reduce it to 3.5 per cent. G20 agreed to bring down the global average cost of transferring remittances to 5%. In the sidelines of G20 Modi also held several bilateral meetings with his counterparts including British Prime Minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
, German Chancellor
Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...
, French President François Hollande, European Union President Herman Van Rompuy, Saudi Crown Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz, Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...
and also attended a special dinner hosted by his friend
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
, Prime Minister of Japan. Even before the G20 summit formally begins all five leaders of the BRICS grouping gathered in Brisbane for an informal meeting at the invitation of Brazilian President
Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the only woman to have held the ...
to discuss issues concerning the group like the New Development Bank.


South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

Relations with the immediate neighbours in South Asia, which have allegedly long been neglected by the previous governments, became a priority feature in Modi's foreign policy. He started well by inviting all the heads of states/governments of the neighbouring countries at his inauguration and then pushed for an early summit to encourage cooperation in many regional issues like trade, connectivity, infrastructure, transit facility among the member states. In his 18th SAARC summit, maiden SAARC summit in the Nepalese capital
Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
, he had focused on greater people to people contacts, better connectivity, commercial linkages within the region. China, which holds an observer status in the group, was represented by Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin seen actively promoting a more active role for itself in the region including infrastructure funding through its proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and extending its ambitious
Maritime Silk Road The Maritime Silk Road or Maritime Silk Route is the maritime section of the historic Silk Road that connected Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian Peninsula, eastern Africa, and Europe. It began by the 2nd century BCE ...
project to South Asian nations. Pakistan, China's all weather friend, also vouched for a more participatory role for the observer nations in the summit process, indirectly advocating for a more Chinese involvement. Although no such proposal was accepted because of India's reservation. India had earlier advanced three proposals to boost connectivity in the region and those were the 'Regulation of Passenger and Cargo Vehicular Traffic amongst SAARC Member States' for seamless vehicular movement beyond the national borders the 'SAARC Regional Agreement on Railways' for international rail service and the 'SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity)' for energy trade in the subcontinent which is often regarded as world's most energy-starved region. Pakistan which is the second largest economy in the block threatened to jeopardise the entire summit by not agreeing on any of the three proposed agreements. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had a brief interaction with Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan's foreign affairs advisor which was seen as a possible ice-breaker but later the Indian side termed it as ‘courtesy call’. The Nepalese delegation including Prime Minister Koirala, the summit host, tried hard to mediate between India and Pakistan to rescue the summit from total failure which led to a hand-shake between Modi and Sharif at the end. Finally, all the sides agreed to sign the 'SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity)' only as a face-saving measure for the Kathmandu summit. In the sidelines of the main summit, Modi also held bilateral meetings with leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka with a notable exception of Pakistan due to ongoing stand-off between the two countries.


Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

Although India is not a member of APEC, Chinese president
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
, the host of the APEC China 2014, 2014 APEC summit, invited Modi to attend the event in Beijing as a guest and also showed willingness to support India's bid to join APEC. India already enjoys such support from other member states such as Russia and Vietnam. However, Modi did not participate in the meeting as a host partner country on the line of Pakistan and Bangladesh on the account of busy diplomatic schedule and a likely state visit to China next year.


International Agency for Solar Technologies and Applications

Modi has brought together 120 countries to form a solar alliance named ''International Agency for Solar Technologies & Applications (INSTA)''.


Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC)

In November 2016, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their Summit Joint Statement reiterated the resolve of the two countries to "develop industrial corridors and industrial network for the growth of Asia and Africa." India-Japan economic engagement with Africa, under the aegis of Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), is based on the premise that the direction of global economic activities is indeed shifting towards the Indo-Pacific region. AAGC seeks to provide an alternative model of development and partnership between developed and developing countries/region for mutual benefit incorporating interconnectivity, infrastructure development, and capacity building.


See also

* Asian foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government * Middle Eastern foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government * De-hyphenation * List of international prime ministerial trips made by Narendra Modi * Sushma Swaraj as Minister of External Affairs * List of international trips made by S. Jaishankar as Minister of External Affairs of India * Premiership of Narendra Modi * Timeline of the Narendra Modi premiership * Economic policy of the Narendra Modi government


References


Sources

* * * * *


Further reading

* "Indian Foreign Policy:The Modi Era" by Harsh V Pant * "My Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Foreign Visits & Achievements)" by NK Sood
Sreeram Chaulia (September 2016) ''Modi Doctrine: The Foreign Policy of India's Prime Minister'' – ''Bloomsbury India''

Jaideep Prabhu (13 April 2015) ''Do we finally have an assertive foreign policy under PM Narendra Modi?'' – ''DNA''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foreign Policy Of Narendra Modi Narendra Modi Foreign relations of India Foreign policy of the Narendra Modi administration, Foreign policy by government, Modi, Narendra