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Modi to visit France after India-EU summit

After wrapping a very successful visit to Bangladesh on March 28, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a hectic schedule of foreign visits…reports Asian Lite News

The Indian Prime Minister has atleast five foreign visits lined up till December this year. Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Bangladesh to celebrate its 50th year of independence and the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ was his first visit abroad after 14 months.

Reports suggest that Modi will visit France in May during the second leg of his tour to Europe to attend the India-EU summit, to be held on May 8 in Portugal. The PM will be visiting Britain for two days from June 11 for the 47th G-7 summit at Carbis Bay. Modi is likely to also attend the Summer Olympic Games Opening in Tokyo on July 22-23. Reports also suggest that Modi will be visiting Denmak in December to attend the second India-Nordic Summit.

Modi’s visit to Paris is an indicator of growing strategic ties with France including its collaboration in Indo-Pacific region. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will be in India for a two-day visit from April 13. Drian is expected to participate in the Raisina Dialogue and India-France-Australia foreign ministers trilateral meet.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong/IANS)

Modi’s visit takes place at a time when Paris and New Delhi have increased engagement at multiple levels including cooperation in Covid-19 related-issues and defence ties. Modi had last visited France in 2019 as French President Emmanuel Macron’s invitee for the G7 summit in Biarritz. As part of its engagement, Indian ships are a part of France-led La Perouse exercises in the Bay of Bengal from April 5-7. The exercise will involve France plus Quad naval ships coming together for the first time.

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Also, France has also delivered 21 out of 36 contracted Rafale jets to India and more deliveries are likely to follow in April and May.

The foreign ministers of India, France and Australia will hold a trilateral dialogue in New Delhi on April 13 where they are likely to discuss steps to strengthen maritime security and collaborate on shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is slated to visit India on April 26. Johnson said in an official statement that the visit will be aimed to “unlock opportunities in the region.” The PM said he will travel to India to “strengthen our ties with the world’s largest democracy.” This will be Johnson’s first major international visit following Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU).

Johnson was earlier set to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in January but he called off the trip to remain in Britain to focus on the response to a new Coronavirus variant.

In his integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy, Johnson had said, “Our vision is for re-energised trade and investment, rooted in S&T and supporting levelling up in the UK and India alike; enhanced defence cooperation that brings a more secure Indian Ocean Region, building on the existing biannual Ministerial Defence Dialogues; and UK-India leadership to tackle global challenges like climate change, clean energy and global health.”

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Modi begins Bangladesh tour with goodwill message

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina
In a special op-ed published in a Bangladesh newspaper, Modi wrote about a joint march towards a golden future for people across the subcontinent, reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a two-day trip to Bangladesh on Friday, his first foreign visit after the coronavirus pandemic broke out.

In a special op-ed published in leading Bangladesh newspaper The Daily Star ahead of the visit, Modi wrote about a joint march towards a golden future where people could “study, work, do business effortlessly across the subcontinent”. He also talks about resolving complex bilateral issues “in a spirit of good neighbourliness”.

India and Bangladesh have made good progress in connectivity, says the PM, referring to plans like Bangladeshi barges travelling all the way to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

“Cargo from Bangladesh can move to Nepal and Bhutan through India. We are in the process of implementing a similar arrangement for Indian cargo to reach India’s North Eastern States through Bangladesh. We are making concerted efforts to operationalise our inland waterways, which will allow Bangladesh barges to reach all the way to Varanasi and Sahibganj in India.”

He talks about the completion of projects like the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline and the Akhaura-Agartala rail link.

The Prime Minister also pays rich tribute to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s first President and the father of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, writing on how the subcontinent would have evolved had “Bangabandhu” not been assassinated in 1975. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed along with most of his family members at his home. His daughters, Sheikh Rehana and Sheikh Hasina  survived because they were abroad.

“It is a safe bet that with Bangabandhu at the helm, Bangladesh and our region would have evolved along a very different trajectory,” PM Modi writes.

Talking about Bangladesh rising from the ashes of a painful war at the time, he says: “If this had continued, perhaps India and Bangladesh could have achieved many decades ago some of the accomplishments that we were able to reach only recently… For instance, India and Bangladesh were able to finally overcome the complications of history through the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement. It was a historic moment in the history of modern nation-states. But had Bangabandhu been at the helm longer, this achievement may have come much earlier.”

The Prime Minister says the two countries could have built a closely integrated economic region, with deeply interlinked value-chains spanning food processing to light industry, electronics and technology products to advanced materials and set up mechanisms to share meteorological, maritime and geological data to protect against the impact of natural disasters.

“Most of all, imagine a scenario wherein our people could study, work, and do business effortlessly across this subcontinent-the world’s largest pool of young people joining their energies to create wealth, innovation and drive new technologies. This would have been the most natural vaccine against the toxic infusion of radicalism, violent extremism and hatred in our societies,” writes PM Modi.

“And yet today, it is possible in this dawn of a new and rising Bangladesh to believe that this future is once again within our grasp. With growing income and prosperity, Bangladesh is progressively realising the dream of Bangabandhu, under the able leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It is time to once again chart a bold ambition for our partnership, as Bangabandhu would have done. With the spirit and enterprise of our people as our Bhagya Vidhata, the dispenser of our shared destiny, such a future is closer than ever.”

Also Read-Bangladesh and India consolidate ties

Read More-Bangladesh thanks India for providing vaccines

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B’desh sees violent anti-Modi protests

Radical Hefazat islamists vandalized the police station-5 injured by fire in Ctg 20 in Dhaka:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Dhaka on Friday on a two-day visit to the neighbor country to join celebrations of the country’s 50th year of freedom…reports Asian Lite News

Violent clashes broke out between the police and the supporters of radical Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam in Dhaka and Chittagong after the cops thwarted an attempt to launch an anti-Modi protest in front of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the Bangladesh capital following Friday prayers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Dhaka on Friday on a two-day visit to Bangladesh to attend the celebrations of the country’s 50th year of liberation from Pakistan and the 100th birth anniversary of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

After the police resorted to lathi charge and tear-gas shelling to stop the Hefazat supporters from taking out a march to protest against the Indian Prime Minister’s visit, leaving several persons injured, around a thousand students of Hathazari Madrasa in Chittagong, known to be a stronghold of the radical group, attacked a police station there, leading to clashes in which at least five persons received injuries.

A large number of Hefazat supporters had gathered at Dhaka’s prominent Baitul Mukarram mosque for Friday prayers. As they were about to take out a anti-Modi march soon after the prayers ended, they were stopped by the police and the altercations between the two sides soon turned violent after a few Hefazat followers hurled brickbats at the cops.

Also read:Bangladesh thanks India for providing vaccines

The police first tried to disperse the crowd by using tear-gas shells. But as things turned bad, they fired from shotguns and used rubber bullets and water cannon to bring the situation under control. As per some eye witnesses, the opposite side comprising mostly Islamist radicals also fired back, as the clashes went on for more than an hour.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina

At least 20 people, including a journalist, were injured in the clashes. The injured are being treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Vehicular movement in the area was disrupted in view of the violent protests and the situation is still tense in the Baitul Mukarram area.

As soon as the news of the clashes spread to Chittagong through personal social media groups, around a thousand students of Hathazari Madrasa attacked and vandalised the Hathazari Model police station at around 2.30 p.m. in protest against Modi’s visit to Bangladesh and the police action on Hefazat supporters in Dhaka.

In the retaliatory action by the police, who resorted to lathi charge, tear-gas shelling and firing rubber bullets at the protesters, five madrasa students were injured who are being treated at the Chattagram Medical College Hospital.

Also read:Bangladesh and India consolidate ties

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Austin meets Modi in New Delhi

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday (Photo: @narendramodi)

The visit is seen as a strong commitment of Biden administration to its strong allies in the Indo-Pacific, reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and stressed the commitment to the strategic partnership between the two countries amid rising tensions in the region and around the world with China.

Modi tweeted after their meeting on Friday, “Pleasure to meet U.S. @SecDef Lloyd Austin today. Conveyed my best wishes to @POTUS @JoeBiden. India and US are committed to our strategic partnership that is a force for global good.”

Austin also met with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, according to the US embassy.

Soon after his arrival, Austin tweeted that his discussions in India would centre on cooperating to face “most pressing challenges” in the Indo-Pacific region where China’s aggressive actions, from the Himalayas to the South China Sea are on the rise.

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He is scheduled to meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the delegations from the two countries are to hold discussions during his visit.

The first visit by a member of US President Joe Biden’s Cabinet to India came as leaders of the US and China clashed at a meeting in Alaska symbolising the growing aggressiveness of China.

It is particularly highlighted in the Indo-Pacific region and the US is responding by working closely with allies and partners.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin meets India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in New Delhi on Friday (Photo: @SecDef/Twitter)

Austin tweeted, “Thrilled to be here in India. The breadth of cooperation between our two nations reflects the significance of our major defense partnership, as we work together to address the most pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region.”

Outlining Austin’s agenda in India, Acting Assistant Defence Secretary for Indo-Pacific, David F. Helvey, said that he will “discuss operationalising the major defence partnership that we have with India, including through enhanced information sharing, regional security cooperation, defence trade, and cooperation in new domains.”

The Indian Defence Ministry said that Singh and Austin “are expected to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation and exchange views on regional security challenges and common interests in maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.”

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It added, “Discussions regarding defence cooperation would also focus on how both countries could consolidate military-to-military cooperation and defence trade and industry cooperation.”

The US designated India as a major defence partner by the US in 2016 allowing it access to some defence hi-tech that would normally be available only to allies.

The visit reflects President Joe Biden’s focus on the Indo-Pacific region to meet the Chinese challenge.

Last week Biden held a virtual summit with other leaders of the Quad nations, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India, Scott Morrison of Australia and Yoshihide Suga of Japan, at which they discussed security issues in the face of Chinese aggressive actions.

While on his way to India, Austin spoke to Australia’s Foreign Minister Maria Payne, who also holds the defence portfolio.

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Helvey said that Austin spoke to her about the “Quadrilateral process” of the four nations.

Before coming to India, Austin had visited two US treaty allies, Japan and Korea, on the frontlines of Chinese aggressiveness at sea in the region, and the military headquarters of the Indo-Pacific headquarters in Hawaii.

He and Secretary of State Antony Blinken held 2+2 ministerial meetings with their counterparts in Seoul and Tokyo.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin with President of South Korea Moon Jae-in (Photo: @SecBlinken)

The meeting of Blinken and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan with senior Chinese officials, State Councilor Wang Yi and Communist Party Foreign Affairs Director Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi, opened yesterday in Anchorage, Alaska, with open hostility.

Blinken said: “We will always stand up for our principles for our people, and for our friends.”

Yi retorted that the US was trying to “obstruct normal trade exchanges, and incite some countries to attack China” — a veiled reference to India, which hs defended itself against a by Beijing’s army along the Line of Actual Control.

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