5th_APRIL 1ST_2015

INDIA’S WORLD OF DIPLOMACY
PM Modi's three-nation tour: Reclaiming
India's position in Indian Ocean
Nitin Gokhale
By all accounts Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's
Indian Ocean sojourn--
which took him to Seychelles,
Mauritius and Sri Lanka last
week—has served to reclaim some of
New Delhi's lost footing in the area.
India has long been a preeminent
maritime power in
the Indian Ocean but for the
past decade, its primacy has
been increasingly
challenged by China.
In Seychelles Prime Minister
Modi announced an agreement to
d e v e l o p i n f r a s t r u c t u r e o n
Assumption Island. Of late, India
has indirectly helped Seychelles
with hydrography, map its exclusive
economic zone, provided a Dornier
aircraft for surveillance but this is
the first time New Delhi is helping in
building infrastructure. India's
proactive push is no doubt
prompted by China's aggressive
foray in the Indian Ocean and espe-
cially its wish to use Seychelles as a
resupply port for its ships taking
part in anti-piracy operations.
In the first two legs of his threenation
tour Modi secured agreements
to develop islands in
Mauritius and Seychelles. India and
Mauritius signed an agreement to
upgrade sea and air links on the
remote Agalega islands, providing
India a foothold in the middle of the
Indian Ocean. The two sides have
been discussing development of
North and South Agalega islands for
years but there were last-minute
hiccups and reservations about
actually clinching an agreement.
Under the act, India will assist in
improving infrastructure for air and
sea connectivity to the two remote
islands. And for once the Ministry of
External Affairs statement wasn't
pulling any punches. It said the new
facilities would also "enhance the
capabilities of the Mauritian
Defence Forces in safeguarding
their interests,” hinting at a military
benefit at a later stage.
India has long been a pre-
eminent maritime power in the
Indian Ocean but for the past
decade, its primacy has been
increasingly challenged by China.
Apart from the strategic requirement
of maintaining its supremacy
in the Indian Ocean Region, there
are commercial reasons that dictate
THE
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