Asian leaders make a beeline at swearing-in

New Delhi: Leaders from BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) nations, President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov (current Shanghai Cooperation Organization Chair) and Indian origin prime minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth were present at the swearing-in ceremony of prime minister Narendra Modi in a show of support for New Delhi’s rising prominence in the Indo-Pacific region. Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid, Nepal’s prime minister KP Sharma Oli and Bhutan’s prime minister Lotay Tshering were also present at the event. Sri Lanka was represented by its president Maithripala Sirisena. Prime minister of Bangladesh was absent as she is on an official trip to Japan.

Myanmar sent its President Win Myint as state councillor Aung San Suu Kyi is on an official visit to Prague. Thailand deputed a special envoy — agriculture minister Grisada Boonrach — for the ceremony. Modi is scheduled to visit Thailand in November.

The invites to leaders of BIMSTEC, SCO and Indian Ocean Region countries signal India's intent to play a key role in the Indo-Pacific region. The Modi government has consciously cultivated BIMSTEC member states in the absence of the effectiveness of SAARC due to Pakistan’s refusal to act on cross-border terror and agree on a connectivity plan.


BIMSTEC presents an opportunity for India to connect with Bay of Bengal countries and Southeast Asia, as part of its Look East policy and boosts India’s presence amid China’s inroads in this region. India’s maritime neighbours in Southeast Asia (like Indonesia) could use BIMSTEC to foster better connectivity with New Delhi through a presence in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and southern and eastern India.

Simultaneously, an invite to the SCO Chair Jeenbekov signals India’s intent to expand its presence in Central Asia and wider Eurasia. There is a desire among Central Asian states that India play a wider role in the region, which is expected to give them more strategic options. An invite to Jugnauth, India’s closest partner in the western Indian Ocean arena, is a signal of New Delhi’s desire to remain a net security provider in the region and push for optimum use of ocean resources.