NEW DELHI: The plain or plane fact is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited as many as 30 countries in 2015, the last being his surprising stopover in Lahore, Pakistan, that changed the entire geopolitical scenario of South Asian region to the core.
But the immense potential hidden in each of these visits, cooperation result in various fields and the diplomatic implications are far more complicated. Like the last flight of the year Mr Modi undertook 2015 may be the shortest in distance and decided in a spur of moment but it must have been the most difficult decision, filled with excitement and the riskiest one, which will be analysed, dissected and re-dissected by political pundits and later by historians for years to come.
The Prime Minister concluded the year with his first state visit to Russia on December 23-24 and unscheduled stopover to Afghan capital Kabul and a stunning decision to fly to Pakistan before returning home. These visits produced more than 120 agreements in diverse areas, more particularly in the defence sector and the much needed nuclear energy.
The Prime Minister started the year with a three-nation tour to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, primarily focused on the maritime diplomacy of the country.
The visit of these three tiny looking countries was immensely vital seeing the ever increasing assertiveness of China in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) where Beijing have been quietly weaving ”a string of pearls around India’s neck. ”
The visit to Seychelles on March 10, Mauritius on March 11 and Sri Lanka on March 13-14 resulted in nine agreements being inked with these countries. During his Sri Lanka visit, he also visited Jaffna, an area close to the hearts of millions of Tamils back home.
Then came his path breaking tour to France, Germany and Canada from April 9-16 during which India sealed more than 20 agreements, including one for purchase of 36 Rafale fighters from the French Dassault.
This ended the seven year long protracted process of buying 126 Mulit-Medium-Role-Combat-Aircraft which was not reaching its logical conclusion.
During the tour, he covered Paris, Toulouse, Neuve-Chapelle in France, (9?12 April), Berlin and Hannover in Germany (12?14 April) and Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver in Canada (14-16April). (UNI)
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