153- Security cooperation has figured prominently in all the joint state-
ments issued at the end of Modi’s visits and they encompass a wide
range of issues including cooperation in counter-terrorism, cyber
security, sea-lane communication, anti-piracy, terror financing,
money laundering and intelligence sharing. The emergence of the
Islamic Caliphate and its radial impact upon the youth within and
outside the region has spurred a greater emphasis on fighting reli-
gious extremism and radicalism.
These are accompanied by a fundamental transformation in the Indian
approach. It is not a country or even issue specific but is development
driven. Even Modi’s engagements with Israel dwell more about soft issues
like agriculture, desalination, recycling and waste management than hard-
core security issues. His support for Palestine is economical and skill devel-
opment than political rhetoric against oppression and occupation. In other
words, economic cooperation has become the key driver of India’s engage-
ments with the Middle East.
This manifested in the high-profile political engagements with the
broader region, some of whom did not see senior Indian officials since the
days of Nehru. Emirates, which has been among the top three trading
partners of India for the past two decades, hosted Indira Gandhi in May
1981 and none for the next 34 years. A summary of the political visits
from India since May 2014 is necessary to place Modi’s engagements with
Saudi Arabia in a broader context.
- President Pranab Mukherjee: Jordan, Palestine and Israel (October
2015) - Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari: Morocco (May–June 2016);
Tunisia (June 2016); Algeria (October 2016).^2 - External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj: Iran (April 2016); Egypt
(August 2015); UAE (November 2014); Oman (February 2015);
Turkey (January 2015); Bahrain (September 2014); Palestine
(January 2016); Israel (January 2016); Bahrain (January 2016 India-
Arab League Ministerial Meeting); Saudi Arabia (February 2018) - Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar: Oman, UAE (May 2016)
- Minister of Home Rajnath Singh: Israel (November 2014)
- Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari: Iran (May 2015 and
December 2017)
(^2) The Vice-President also represented India during the funeral of King Abdullah in January
2015.
TRANSFORMATION