Table of Contents
Topic 17- Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan
- A regional security summit was hosted by India on November 10, 2021.
- The summit was attended by eight nations including Iran and Russia.
- It was chaired by the Indian NSA.
- This is the third meeting of the Regional Security Dialogue (the earlier two meetings were held in Iran, in 2018 and 2019).
Invited Participants
- Afghanistan’s neighbours such as Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and other key players including Russia, and China.
Highlights
- Conference was represented by the national security advisors of each country.
- During the conference, it was announced that Afghanistan & its territories cannot be used to shelter or train terrorists, or to finance any act of terrorism.
- Countries issued a joint statement, dubbed as “Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan”.
Response by the Regional Countries
- Russia held that multiple dialogue mechanisms “should not complicate” the unfolding situation in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
- Pakistan and China too were invited to participate in the consultation but both stayed away.
- Moreover, there was no representation from the erstwhile Afghan government or the Taliban.
- Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan’s NSAs did not mention the word terrorism at all in their opening statements.
Troika plus Meeting on Afghanistan
- The U.S.-Russia-China-Pakistan grouping on the Afghanistan peace process.
Moscow Format on Afghanistan
- It was set up by Russia for Peace and stability in Afghanistan in the year 2017.
- It is a six-party mechanism.
- It involved Russia, India, Afghanistan, Iran, China, and Pakistan.
Topic 18- Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan
- India hosted senior security officials from Russia, Iran, and the five Central Asian countries to discuss the situation in neighboring Afghanistan following the fall of the U.S.-backed government and the Taliban takeover of the country.
- This is the first meeting of the security heads of the participating countries that India has hosted since the Taliban took power.
Important Infrastructure projects in Afghanistan
- One of the key India-funded projects in Afghanistan is the 42 MW Salma Dam or the Afghan-India Friendship Dam project in Herat Province. It is a hydropower and irrigation project that was completed and launched in 2016.
- The Zaranj-Delaram highway, a 218-km path built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) also counts as a flagship Indian project in Afghanistan.
- The Afghan Parliament is another high-profile project completed by India for $90 million.
- The restoration and inauguration of the Star Palace in 2016, originally built in the late 19th century, is another crucial project undertaken by India in Afghanistan.
Topic 19- India-France Defence Partnership
- At the India-France strategic dialogue, both countries resolved to expand the defence and security partnership.
- France reiterated its commitment to India’s vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)” and defence industrialization, joint research, and technology development in India.
- France stressed its continuing commitment to the Indo-Pacific region as a “resident power”, and its partnership with India as a “major pillar” of its strategy for the region.
Resident power
- A resident power is one that does not own territory or have a territorial presence in a particular region of the world, but is nevertheless a force to be reckoned with in the international politics of that region.
Defence exercises
- Exercise Shakti (Army)
- Exercise Varuna (Navy)
- Exercise Garuda (Air Force)
- Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has inducted French Rafale multi-role combat aircraft.
- India entered into a contract with a French firm to build six Scorpene submarines.
- France became the 23rd member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
- It is the first time that a country whose mainland is not on the Indian Ocean has been brought into the fold of the IORA.
Topic 20- 16th East Asia Summit
- The Prime Minister attended the 16th East Asia Summit (EAS).
- Hosted by: Brunei as EAS and ASEAN Chair.
Focus
- The importance of a resilient global value chain was highlighted.
- Discussed important regional and international issues, including Indo-Pacific, South China Sea, UNCLOS, terrorism, and the situation in Korean Peninsula and Myanmar.
- EAS leaders adopted three statements on mental health, economic recovery through tourism, and sustainable recovery, which have been co-sponsored by India.
- “ASEAN centrality” in the Indo-Pacific was reaffirmed and the synergies between ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) were highlighted.
East Asia Summit (EAS)
- The concept of East Asia Grouping was first promoted in 1991 by the then Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad.
- Established in 2005, it is the Indo-Pacific’s premier forum for strategic dialogue.
- Apart from the 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states, the East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.
- India is one of the founding members of the East Asia Summit.
Topic 21- 18th India-ASEAN Summit
India participated in the 18th India-ASEAN Summit at the invitation of Brunei, the current Chair of ASEAN.
Key Highlights
- Year 2022 as India-ASEAN Friendship Year: to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the India-ASEAN Partnership.
- Indian Prime Minister underlined the centrality of ASEAN in India’s Act East Policy.
- Indo-pacific vision: synergies between the ASEAN Outlook for the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- About ASEAN: ASEAN was formed in 1967 by the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore.
- ASEAN was created through the Bangkok Declaration (ASEAN Declaration) in Bangkok, Thailand.
- ASEAN Day is observed on 8th August each year.
- ASEAN Secretariat: Indonesia, Jakarta.
- Motto of ASEAN: “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.
Topic 22- Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)
- India and the European Union (EU) are set to resume negotiations for a Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA).
- India and the European Union have been negotiating the Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement for decades.
- The negotiations include many factors such as tariff reductions, market access, and investments.
- The last rounds of negotiations happened in November 2013 and ever since then, the negotiations have been stonewalled.
Scope
- The EU was India’s largest trading partner in goods 2019-20, ahead of China and the US, with total trade close to USD 90 billion.
Topic 23- US’ CAATSA and Russia’s S-400
- The sword of CAATSA sanctions is hanging over the newly developed US and India relations.
What is CAATSA?
- The CAATSA stands for Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act.
- It is a US federal law enacted in 2017.
- Its “ultimate goal”, “is to prevent revenue from flowing to the Russian Government.
- Besides Russia, CAATSA is aimed at enforcing sanctions against Iran and North Korea.
Types of Sanctions
- The CAATSA contains 12 types of sanctions.
- There are only two sanctions that may impact either India-Russia relations or India-US relations.
1. Prohibition of banking transactions
- The first of these, which is likely to have an impact on India-Russia relations.
- This would mean difficulties for India in making payments in US Dollars to Russia for the purchase of the S-400 systems.
2. Export Sanction
- The second sanction will have greater consequences for India-US relations.
- This is the “export sanction” which has the potential to completely derail the India-US Strategic and Defence partnership
- It will deny the license for, and export of, any items controlled by the US.
Russia’s S-400
- It is a mobile, Surface-to-Air Missile system (SAM) designed by Russia.
- It is the most dangerous operationally deployed Modern Long-Range SAM (MLR SAM) in the world.
- It is capable of firing three types of missiles to create a layered defence.
- China is also buying the system.
Topic 24- Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB
- Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Urjit Patel has been appointed vice-president of the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
About
- It is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia and beyond.
- The Parties (57 founding members) to agreement comprise the Membership of the Bank.
- It is headquartered in Beijing.
- The bank started operation after the agreement entered into force on 25 December 2015.
India and AIIB
- India has a 7.6% shareholding in the bank, which is second to China which has 26.6% shares.
- India is one of the largest beneficiaries of infrastructure projects financed by AIIB.
- The bank has funded about 28 projects in India worth USD 6.7 billion.
- The Bangalore and Chennai metro rail has received support from the bank.
- The bank had also approved 500 million dollars for the Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund and the Health Systems Preparedness Project.
- Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has also approved lending of USD 200 million to the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
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