The East African coast, stretching from Cape Agulhas in the south to Djibouti in the north, is a region of immense interest to India for strategic, political and historical reasons. This is the meeting point of the African continent with the Indian Ocean, the two areas considered as ‘central’ to the country’s foreign policy concerns.[1]
The visit of President Ram Nath Kovind to Djibouti and Ethiopia, from 2-6 October 2017, needs to be viewed in this larger strategic context. It was a goodwill visit during which important issues of mutual interest were deliberated upon. Ample information, is, however, not available yet on the full contours of the dialogue held. It also appears that the latest India-Japan initiative, the Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) which seeks to focus on Africa’s east coast, was perhaps not taken up in some depth at the recent discussions.
In the past decade, Djibouti has emerged as a hub of international activities for countering piracy and terrorism. It is also a favourite listening post for various Navies to monitor naval and merchant traffic. Above all, it is a rare country that hosts military bases of the U.S., China, Japan, France and others, earning millions of dollars as rent.[2]
For his first official visit, President Kovind chose to travel to Djibouti, a country that has not received an Indian president or prime minister ever before.
Thus, opening the score, the two governments quickly reached agreement to arrange structured discussions in the future – both at the official level through periodic foreign office consultations and an exchange of ministerial visits. India’s development assistance will be stepped up. Djibouti decided to join the International Solar Alliance, a joint Indo-French initiative.
While there was broad agreement to fight terrorism through mutual cooperation, there was no hint if India too wished to join the quest for setting up a base in Djibouti. In principle, Delhi is opposed to the very idea of foreign military bases, but circumstances are changing. India is now recognised as a security provider and can, therefore, do with requisite logistical facilities. A naval expert pointed out that since the ministry of external affairs was not even maintaining an embassy in Djibouti currently, it may be desirable to start with a permanent liaison post of the Indian Navy in the region. Whether this materialises in the foreseeable future will be worth watching.
What is also clear is that three other countries – Eritrea, Somalia and Madagascar – may receive focused diplomatic attention by the Indian authorities in the coming months.
Of late, India’s relations with Ethiopia have gained new substance and depth. It was, therefore, surprising to note that an Indian president was visiting this country after a hiatus of 45 years! President Kovind meticulously went through a well-designed programme, reaching out to all the target audiences: the host government, business leaders, university community and the Indian diaspora.
With bilateral trade valued at $1 billion and Indian investments touching $5 billion, India’s economic profile has been on the rise. Ethiopia has also been a major recipient of development assistance. Over 2,000 Indians man teaching and research positions in Ethiopian universities.[3] By signing new agreements on trade and cooperation in the field of information, communication and media, the two governments indicated where their joint focus is likely to be in the future.
To many, Addis Ababa serves as the diplomatic capital of Africa since it hosts the headquarters of the African Union (AU). Longtime Africa observers contend that India’s dialogue and cooperation with the AU need enhanced attention and further expansion.
Against this backdrop, it should be noted that the proposed AAGC found little mention in reports relating to discussions held during the president’s visits to Djibouti and Ethiopia. The initiative assumed clear shape at the conclusion of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Gujarat in September. The joint India-Japan statement referred to it in upbeat terms.[4] The architects of the proposal – three think tanks based in Delhi, Jakarta and Tokyo – are considered to be developing a detailed ‘AAGC Vision Study.’[5] Not only do they need to finalise it as soon as possible, they may be well advised to engage proactively with corporate players to launch a few pilot projects in specifically selected sectors of economic activity. Besides, the governments of India and Japan need to arrange additional financial resources for implementing at least some of the ideas included in the AAGC.
There is a strong case for dovetailing the AAGC in the mainstream of parallel, but converging, diplomatic endeavours of India and Japan in Africa. Perhaps the year 2018 may witness tangible progress on this score.
Rajiv Bhatia is Distinguished Fellow, Gateway House. A former High Commissioner to Kenya, South Africa and Lesotho, he writes regularly on African affairs.
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References
[1] Ashok Malik, press secretary to the President, stated before the visit: “The President is looking forward to his visit. He recognizes that Africa and Indian Ocean region are central to Indian foreign policy and which is why these regions and continents have been chosen for his first visit.”
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Transcript (uncorrected) of Media Briefing on State visit of President to Djibouti and Ethiopia (September 29, 2017), (New Delhi: Ministry of External Affairs, 2017).
[2] Please see Patil, Sameer, Djibouti’s ‘military base’ diplomacy, (Mumbai: Gatway House, Indian Council on Global Relations, 2017).
[3] President Kovind observed: “I am happy to learn that more than 2,000 Indian faculty members are contributing to teaching and to academic research in Ethiopian universities in fields as diverse as humanities and the social sciences, engineering, business management, and medicine.”
Kovind, Ram Nath, ‘Address of the President of Inida, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Addis Ababa University’, speech delivered at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 6 October 2017, <http://presidentofindia.nic.in/speeches-detail.htm?346>
[4] Para 12 of the joint statement reads as follows: “The two Prime Ministers welcomed the efforts to explore the development of industrial corridors and industrial network for the growth of Asia and Africa, which will benefit various stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific region including Africa. They shared the desire to further promote cooperation and collaboration in Africa in line with the priority measures identified through the India-Japan dialogue on Africa and the processes of the India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) and Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).”
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, India-Japan Joint Statement during visit of Prime Minister of Japan to India (September 14, 2017), (New Delhi: Ministry of External Affairs, 2017).
[5] The three think tanks are: Research and Information System for Developing Countries RIS), Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and Institute of Development Economies – Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO).