Tap ties with West Asia to fullest : Shashi Tharoor, News - India Today
During my brief stint as minister of state for external affairs, I had the privilege of being responsible in the ministry for India-Arab relations. It was a welcome challenge. The Arab world constitutes an integral part of India's extended neighbourhood and is a region of critical importance to India in political, strategic, security and economic terms.
It accounts for 63 per cent of our crude oil imports, trades with India to the tune of $93 billion, and plays host to 6 million Indian expatriate workers who remit over 65 per cent of the $57 billion that India receives every year in inward remittances. Yet, for all its significance, it cannot be said that the full potential of our relationship with the Arab world has yet been fulfilled.
Backdrop
For India the basic considerations remain that the Arab world is an important, indeed indispensable, source of our energy security and is home to such a large population of Indians who in turn contribute significantly to our economy. As one of the few regions of the planet with an investible surplus, the Arab world is also an important potential source of investment for our growing economy. The geo-strategic significance of the Gulf region for our own national security also calls for attention, though it is one area that is relatively unexplored. We must do more, since we cannot afford to cede these vital countries to the blandishments of their fellow-Islamic state, Pakistan.
The Arabian Sea, which washes the shores of both our regions, and whose trade winds have carried vessels across since the days of antiquity, has played a crucial role in the cultivation of our relations. India's cultural links with West Asia can be traced to the early years of recorded history and continued well into the modern era. The idea of India has long flourished in the Arab imagination: it is no accident that so many distinguished Arab families in many different Arab countries bear the surname al-Hindi, or that 'Hind', as a term connoting beauty and desirability, is still a name given to many Arab women.
Partition and the creation of a 'Muslim Indian' state called Pakistan certainly confused some Arab Muslims, who felt their religious affinity should imply a transfer of their traditional Indian allegiance to Pakistan. Though this sentiment is mainly aroused only in times of war or conflict on the subcontinent, and the positive image of India has survived above and beyond the idea of Pakistan - especially since Indian expatriate workers of all faiths have a far better reputation for hard work and integrity than their Pakistani counterparts, whether merited or not -it complicates perceptions of the country in some Arab minds.
To be fair, the Arab world has enjoyed important strategic and security relationships with Pakistan. A contingent of Pakistani troops long protected the Saudi royal family, and the UAE was, in the 1990s, the only state persuaded by Islamabad to grant full diplomatic recognition to the Taliban regime in Kabul.
Relations
Yet the Arab countries are by no means totally or exclusively in Islamabad's orbit. They are conscious of the dangers to them of the militant Islamist extremism encouraged by Pakistan, and are watching that country's politics warily. They also have a healthy respect for India's place in the region and the contribution that India, with its size, resources and military strength, can make to the security and stability of the Gulf.
Though the bedrock of goodwill between our two regions allows us to build a strong edifice of substantial contemporary relations, it is difficult to argue that these have fully been built. Even though India considers the Arab region very important in shaping our political, economic, defence and security policies at both the regional and global level, it is far from establishing the kind of strategic partnerships essential to give these relations true geopolitical heft. Though New Delhi declares often enough that the Arab world is a key part of its strategic neighbourhood and both sides speak desultorily of the importance of strategic cooperation, there have been few, if any, meaningful consultations at high level to this end.
There have been evident positives: India's approach on issues affecting the Arab world has been consistent, and New Delhi has been able to demonstrate that its policies towards the region are based on principles, not expediency. They are also backed up with tangible action: India is a major troop contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations in Arab lands, from UNIFIL in Lebanon to UNDOF on the Golan Heights. Indian peacekeepers have also served more recently with the UN Mission in Sudan, UNMIS, and UN operations in Western Sahara.
Principles
India has also been a strong supporter of the UN agency working with Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and a significant aid donor to the Palestinian Authority. India is among the very few countries to station a diplomat in the Palestinian government's seat, Ramallah. I visited there in January and was struck by how wellconnected the Indian mission is and the very high respect in which our country is held by the Palestinian establishment.
The principles animating New Delhi's positions on such issues as the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people, the Suez crisis or the Algerian independence movement have stood the test of time. The overt support of many Arab countries for Pakistan at times of conflict with India has not swayed New Delhi from this course. India has never failed to bear in mind its fundamental interests in the region. The result has been to promote a pattern of contact, especially at the people-to-people level, that has few parallels. It is not surprising, for instance, to note that the number of flights from Indian airports to the Gulf region far exceeds the total number of flights from India to the rest of the world.
Whereas the world has heard of our 'Look East' policy in Southeast Asia, we should be proud to have a 'Look West' policy too, in which the word 'West', for once, does not refer to Europe or America. It refers to West Asia, home of the Arab world, a region which deserves our sustained attention.
During my brief stint as minister of state for external affairs, I had the privilege of being responsible in the ministry for India-Arab relations. It was a welcome challenge. The Arab world constitutes an integral part of India's extended neighbourhood and is a region of critical importance to India in political, strategic, security and economic terms.
It accounts for 63 per cent of our crude oil imports, trades with India to the tune of $93 billion, and plays host to 6 million Indian expatriate workers who remit over 65 per cent of the $57 billion that India receives every year in inward remittances. Yet, for all its significance, it cannot be said that the full potential of our relationship with the Arab world has yet been fulfilled.
Backdrop
For India the basic considerations remain that the Arab world is an important, indeed indispensable, source of our energy security and is home to such a large population of Indians who in turn contribute significantly to our economy. As one of the few regions of the planet with an investible surplus, the Arab world is also an important potential source of investment for our growing economy. The geo-strategic significance of the Gulf region for our own national security also calls for attention, though it is one area that is relatively unexplored. We must do more, since we cannot afford to cede these vital countries to the blandishments of their fellow-Islamic state, Pakistan.
The Arabian Sea, which washes the shores of both our regions, and whose trade winds have carried vessels across since the days of antiquity, has played a crucial role in the cultivation of our relations. India's cultural links with West Asia can be traced to the early years of recorded history and continued well into the modern era. The idea of India has long flourished in the Arab imagination: it is no accident that so many distinguished Arab families in many different Arab countries bear the surname al-Hindi, or that 'Hind', as a term connoting beauty and desirability, is still a name given to many Arab women.
Partition and the creation of a 'Muslim Indian' state called Pakistan certainly confused some Arab Muslims, who felt their religious affinity should imply a transfer of their traditional Indian allegiance to Pakistan. Though this sentiment is mainly aroused only in times of war or conflict on the subcontinent, and the positive image of India has survived above and beyond the idea of Pakistan - especially since Indian expatriate workers of all faiths have a far better reputation for hard work and integrity than their Pakistani counterparts, whether merited or not -it complicates perceptions of the country in some Arab minds.
To be fair, the Arab world has enjoyed important strategic and security relationships with Pakistan. A contingent of Pakistani troops long protected the Saudi royal family, and the UAE was, in the 1990s, the only state persuaded by Islamabad to grant full diplomatic recognition to the Taliban regime in Kabul.
Relations
Yet the Arab countries are by no means totally or exclusively in Islamabad's orbit. They are conscious of the dangers to them of the militant Islamist extremism encouraged by Pakistan, and are watching that country's politics warily. They also have a healthy respect for India's place in the region and the contribution that India, with its size, resources and military strength, can make to the security and stability of the Gulf.
Though the bedrock of goodwill between our two regions allows us to build a strong edifice of substantial contemporary relations, it is difficult to argue that these have fully been built. Even though India considers the Arab region very important in shaping our political, economic, defence and security policies at both the regional and global level, it is far from establishing the kind of strategic partnerships essential to give these relations true geopolitical heft. Though New Delhi declares often enough that the Arab world is a key part of its strategic neighbourhood and both sides speak desultorily of the importance of strategic cooperation, there have been few, if any, meaningful consultations at high level to this end.
There have been evident positives: India's approach on issues affecting the Arab world has been consistent, and New Delhi has been able to demonstrate that its policies towards the region are based on principles, not expediency. They are also backed up with tangible action: India is a major troop contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations in Arab lands, from UNIFIL in Lebanon to UNDOF on the Golan Heights. Indian peacekeepers have also served more recently with the UN Mission in Sudan, UNMIS, and UN operations in Western Sahara.
Principles
India has also been a strong supporter of the UN agency working with Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and a significant aid donor to the Palestinian Authority. India is among the very few countries to station a diplomat in the Palestinian government's seat, Ramallah. I visited there in January and was struck by how wellconnected the Indian mission is and the very high respect in which our country is held by the Palestinian establishment.
The principles animating New Delhi's positions on such issues as the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people, the Suez crisis or the Algerian independence movement have stood the test of time. The overt support of many Arab countries for Pakistan at times of conflict with India has not swayed New Delhi from this course. India has never failed to bear in mind its fundamental interests in the region. The result has been to promote a pattern of contact, especially at the people-to-people level, that has few parallels. It is not surprising, for instance, to note that the number of flights from Indian airports to the Gulf region far exceeds the total number of flights from India to the rest of the world.
Whereas the world has heard of our 'Look East' policy in Southeast Asia, we should be proud to have a 'Look West' policy too, in which the word 'West', for once, does not refer to Europe or America. It refers to West Asia, home of the Arab world, a region which deserves our sustained attention.
