How Narendra Modi’s successful European tour is a vindication of India’s global standing and credibility

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation tour of Germany, France and Denmark earlier this week is a fine example of deft timing and substance in conducting diplomacy with a region that holds great strategic and economic significance for India. This was Modi’s first foreign visit in 2022 and it took place against the backdrop of the continuing war in Ukraine that has rent asunder European security paradigms. India’s well-considered position against protracted war, its call for immediate cessation of hostilities and advocacy of a peaceful resolution of the dispute stand in contrast to the trans-Atlantic cacophony on sanctioning Russia as well as the West’s vicarious military response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Modi’s high-voltage engagement of the leadership of Germany, France as well as  all the Nordic states — Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland — gave Europe a chance to understand India’s viewpoint firsthand. Coming on the heels of recent visits to India by European leaders such as Ursula Von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and several foreign ministers, the visit strengthened the economic, technological and strategic underpinnings of partnerships at a time when India has emerged as the fastest growing economy for the second year running, in a post-pandemic recovery phase. India also boasts the world’s fastest growing start-up ecosystem in the world. It is “raining unicorns” in India as some have described it. Having achieved an ambitious export target of $400 billion in FY2022, the Indian economy is now well placed to build stronger and enduring economic partnerships, including in innovation, with European partners. It is little wonder that the agreements between the Indian prime minister and his European counterparts covered a panoply of issues ranging from climate change and the Blue Economy to renewables, and from defence and space to fisheries and the Arctic. The overwhelming reception that Modi receives from the Indian diaspora each time he travels abroad borders on adulation, with good reason. The Indian community throughout Europe has grown in recent years, especially the number of Indian students in Germany. For the youthful student or the well-settled IT professional or businessman among the diaspora, Modi’s India undoubtedly gives them a sense of pride in their passports and professions and provides a strong emotive connect to the India of tomorrow. In Germany, France and Denmark, the scenes were similar, and familiar, of large numbers of Indians seeking him out. His special connect with the masses was most evident in his affectionate interaction with children, whether the little boy who sang a patriotic song in his presence or the little girl who presented him with a sketch made in his likeness. Germany, the first leg of his visit, provided the backdrop for the Sixth Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC). Regular annual consultations with Germany, as with key strategic partners such as the US and Japan, were the norm until the COVID-19 pandemic struck and postponed physical meetings. This round, the first since 2019, was an opportunity for Modi to establish a personal rapport with Chancellor Olaf Scholz who came to power quite recently in December 2021 at the head of a coalition government that includes the Green Party. Germany is at a major crossroads in terms of its shifting orientations, whether in regard to Russia or China. Notably, Scholz’s first visit to Asia as Chancellor was to Japan, not to his predecessor Angela Merkel’s favourite destination China. Alongside a rising defence budget, this indicates that Germany is perhaps shedding its earlier mercantilism in favour of a robust strategic outlook in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. The Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Green and Sustainable Development Partnership signed between India and Germany is one of the most important outcomes of the visit. Germany, Europe’s economic powerhouse, will provide additional development assistance worth 10 billion euros between now and 2030. This will prove a shot in the arm for Modi’s five-fold strategy to tackle climate change unveiled at the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, termed as the panchamrita (the five nectars). These are: enhancing India’s non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatt (GW) by 2030, meeting 50 per cent of India’s energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030, cutting total projected carbon emission by 1 billion tonnes by 2030, reducing the carbon intensity in the economy to less than 45 per cent by the end of the decade, and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. As the Indian prime minister wound his way to Denmark, renewable energy and the environment remained on the agenda, but there were also other areas of interest such as agriculture, food processing, smart urban development and shipping. Modi particularly focused on the three “Ts” in Denmark — trade, technology and talent, the last being a reference to Denmark’s emergence as a big market for India’s human resources. The Second Nordic Summit held during the visit to Denmark was timely, given India’s recently released Arctic Policy which inter alia aims to bolster India’s role as a stakeholder in the sustainable development of the Arctic region. India is only the second country after the United States with which Nordic nations have this mechanism. As the polar ice caps melt, the new Arctic sea routes are drawing greater attention, including on the part of China. As an Observer State in the Arctic Council with several expeditions to its credit apart from maintaining an Arctic station, India can play an important role in providing stability in a region of emerging contestation over connectivity and resources. Modi invited the Nordic states to invest in the Blue Economy, especially in India’s Sagarmala project. India also recognises the strengths of the Nordic countries, especially in innovation. The last leg of the tour, France, held special significance. PM Modi and President Emmanuel Macron enjoy a warm personal relationship that provides impetus to a deepening strategic partnership. The defence sector remains the cornerstone of ties, linked to the vision of aatmanirbharta in defence manufacturing. At the same time, France’s independent foreign policy, its vital support for India as a member of the UN Security Council on sensitive issues, and its status as a resident power in the Indo-Pacific are equally significant attributes of the partnership. Modi became the first foreign leader to visit Macron following his recent re-election, which adds to the diplomatic success of the tour. There is great scope for India and France to work together in third countries, including in Africa and Indo-China. France may still harbour reservations about AUKUS and the abrupt cancellation of its submarine deal with Australia, but it remains a very important partner in the Quad Plus format. The Quad countries’ naval exercise with France in the Bay of Bengal in April 2021 augurs well for building a broader consensus among like-minded countries on key challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. The political and diplomatic confrontation between the West and President Vladimir Putin’s Russia is unlikely to abate anytime soon. Most of the world has chosen to take sides. India has chosen to follow the middle path of peace and non-violence, and this stand is now better appreciated even by the doubting Thomases. It is indeed an emphatic vindication of Modi’s confident foreign policy that he should be so warmly received by all European leaders. In a world increasingly defined by geostrategic shifts, ideological rivalry and fractured power, Modi’s India has emerged as an important global player with credibility on all sides. The author, a former Ambassador, is currently the Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses; views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .