THE REPUBLICAnother issue which alarmed India in this context was the growing
military importance of the Indian Ocean, which India would have liked to
recognise as a ‘Zone of Peace’. Before the Soviet invasion there had been
some attempts at coming to an agreement which would provide at least for
a ‘freeze’ of the arms race in this region. The American leaders could
afford to think of such a ‘freeze’ as they were already well represented in
the region. The huge American base on the island of Diego Garcia in the
centre of the Indian Ocean would remain intact, even under such a ‘freeze’.
The Soviet invasion, however, put an end to such considerations and the
regional arms race was stepped up with a vengeance. Additional American
bases were established in Oman, and the Soviet Union gained control of
Aden and some bases in the Red Sea.
All these problems were soon forgotten once the Soviet Union withdrew
from Afghanistan and collapsed soon thereafter. The old rule that empires
must expand or they will implode seemed to be confirmed by the fate of
the Soviet Union. India renewed the treaty of friendship with the Soviet
Union in 1991 only a few weeks before that state ceased to exist. It then
signed a treaty with the new Russian republic and established diplomatic
relations with a host of successor states. But all this cannot compensate
India for the loss of a fairly stable relationship which began in 1955 and
proved to be useful in many respects.
South Asian Regional CooperationThe problems of regional security have made India a convert to the idea of
South Asian Regional Cooperation which was first mooted by President
Zia-ur Rahman of Bangladesh. India had always preferred to deal with its
neighbours bilaterally, thus preventing antagonistic ‘ganging up’ with
regard to common grievances. For this very reason Bangladesh—which did
not want to be left alone in its dealings with its huge neighbour—
emphasised the need for regional cooperation. On the other hand, India
also had some interest in keeping in touch with Pakistan and a forum of
regional cooperation could serve this purpose too. So finally and for a
variety of different reasons, the scheme of South Asian Regional
Cooperation (SARC) took shape. After a round of meetings at foreign
secretary level, a ministerial meeting was arranged in July 1983 in New
Delhi. It was here that SARC was formally established. Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the seven
members of this association. The fact that this was to be an association of
states was officially announced at its first summit meeting, when the heads
of government met in Dhaka in December 1985. Accordingly, a new name
was adopted: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
It was also decided to establish a permanent secretariat and to hold annual
summit meetings.