| Sreemoy Talukdar brings you the essential cheat sheet on foreign affairs covering India and the world |  | | The G-7 and NATO summits were held this week where American and European leaders announced ramping up of military presence in Europe. As a special invitee to the G-7 summit (pic above), prime minister Modi emphasized that energy shouldn't be cornered by the rich. In other developments, Putin made his own moves, Xi finally stepped out of China after 893 days, IMF-Sri Lanka failed to reach a bailout deal and Israel's Knesset was dissolved as the country faces yet another election. | | TOP FIVE NEWS UPDATES | | G-7, NATO members take aim at Russia and China, vow to back Ukraine for 'as long as it takes' | | It was a week of conferences in Europe as leaders of the world's richest nations — representing the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, the U.K., Canada and Japan — conducted a series of meetings on G-7 and NATO forums, pondering over their next moves against the immediate threat from Vladimir Putin's Russia and long term threat from a rising China. The three-day G-7 Summit, that was hosted by Germany at the plush Schloss Elmau resort in the Bavarian Alps, saw leaders vowing on Tuesday to explore steps to cap Russia's burgeoning income from oil sales and struck a united stance to support Kyiv for "as long as it takes" as the war grinds on. The members also called on China to press Russia to pull forces out of Ukraine immediately and unconditionally and said they would "align and expand targeted sanctions to further restrict Russia's access to key industrial inputs, services and technologies", reports Financial Times. In the final communique the leaders stated a bunch of resolves on sanctions, energy, food security, China, Iran etc. The leaders were, however, slammed by activists for their watered-down climate commitments while seeking to balance the rising cost and paucity of energy to keep their economies going. Prime minister Narendra Modi, an invitee at the summit, said access to energy should not be a privilege of the rich and the poor also should have equal right to it, during his remarks at a special session, reports The Hindu. The leaders then flew off to Madrid for a meeting of NATO members that "adopted a new strategic blueprint on Wednesday bluntly branding Russia as 'the most significant and direct threat to Allies' security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area'. The labeling of Russia as a clear and present danger in NATO's new "Strategic Concept" — a once-in-a-decade planning document — represents the leaders' formal verdict on Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine, which brought full-scale war to Europe for the first time in the 21st century", reports Politico. At the summit, Biden declared that the US "will make its biggest military expansion in Europe since the Cold War, including its first permanent troop presence in Poland" The announcement followed a NATO pledge this week to "increase its high-readiness forces sevenfold." Associated Press points out that "NATO has for the first time singled out China as one of its strategic priorities for the next decade, warning about its growing military ambitions, confrontational rhetoric toward Taiwan and other neighbors, and increasingly close ties to Russia." | | Confident Putin steps out of Russia for first time since war to visit 'friendly' central Asian states | | Targeted by G-7 and NATO leaders, even as Russia continues to make inroads into Ukraine, Russian president Vladimir Putin is carrying out his own diplomatic manoeuvres. On Wednesday, reports New York Times, Putin "strode, smiling, across a sun-baked airport tarmac in Turkmenistan, slinging off his suit jacket before ducking into his Russian-made armored limousine to head for a five-country summit meeting. It was his first trip abroad since the invasion of Ukraine, and his first multiday foreign trip since the pandemic — an apparently calculated bit of counterprogramming to the NATO summit in Spain." The Russian president's trip began with a visit to Tajikistan on Tuesday. "I'm very happy to be on friendly soil in our ally in this region of the world," Putin said at the start of his talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in the capital, Dushanbe, according to a Bloomberg report which adds, Putin's talks in Tajikistan, which hosts a Russian military base, focused on cooperation and the situation in the region including Afghanistan. The Russian president then headed to Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat Wednesday for a summit of Caspian Sea states hosted by the country's new president, Serdar Beridmuhamedov. Following the sixth Caspian summit between Putin, Beridmuhamedov and presidents of Iran, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, a communique was released that "emphasized their agreement to bar any foreign militaries from the Caspian. They also underlined a pledge not to offer the territory of their nations for aggression against another littoral country. The communique also emphasized the importance of cooperation in the military sphere between the Caspian nations," reports AP. As the NATO on Wednesday formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the transatlantic alliance Putin said Russia would "respond in kind" if NATO deployed troops and infrastructure in Finland and Sweden. | | Xi finally leaves home after 893 days to attend 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule | | After exactly 893 days at home since China was hit by the pandemic, Chinese president Xi Jinping finally left mainland China to hop across the border in a high-speed train to Hong Kong Thursday to attend events marking 25 years of Chinese rule in the former British colony. South China Morning Post reports that Xi "hailed Hong Kong for having 'risen from the ashes' as he began his long-anticipated visit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city's return to Chinese sovereignty, underscoring Beijing's commitment to the 'one country, two systems' governing principle for a 'bright future'. The president, who travelled to Hong Kong with first lady Peng Liyuan, had a busy first day holding separate meetings with government officials, legislators, judges, representatives from the disciplined services, business leaders and others from various sectors." Bloomberg quotes Xi, as saying in a short speech Thursday afternoon at West Kowloon railway station, "After the storm, Hong Kong has been reborn from the ashes, showing vigor and vitality." His comments, says the report, "were an apparent reference to the sweeping security law Beijing imposed in 2020 that crushed dissent after mass anti-government unrest. The president added that his 'heart is always with Hong Kong,' saying the city's 'one country, two systems' formula would ensure its prosperity and stability. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were greeted by crowds of flag-waving schoolchildren and a traditional lion dance. Outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam was at the reception along with her successor, John Lee, and Zheng Yanxiong, head of the secretive agency China created to implement its security law. Xi wore a mask throughout the event except while giving his speech, at a great distance from the crowd. There were no handshakes or hugs." Chinese state media carried several commentaries on Xi's visit, among which Global Times declared that "President Xi's visit to Hong Kong underscores trust, confidence." | | IMF bailout talks end without a deal as Sri Lanka comes to a complete standstill without fuel | | The International Monetary Fund (IMF) ended talks with Sri Lanka Thursday, failing to conclude a deal for a bailout package for the near-bankrupt nation after 10 days, reports CNBC, but in a statement released later in the day, the Washington-based lender said "The IMF team had constructive and productive discussions with the authorities on economic policies and reforms to be supported by an IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement. Significant progress was made, and discussions will continue virtually towards reaching a staff-level agreement on the EFF arrangement in the near term." "Sri Lanka, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence and defaulted on its international debt, needs at least $6 billion in the coming months to stabilize the nation's finances devastated by years of policy missteps and the Covid-19 pandemic. With authorities now resorting to print money just to pay government salaries, the economy risks runaway inflation amid shortages of everything from fuel to medicines," observes Bloomberg. News agency AFP adds "IMF said more work was needed to set the nation's finances right and repair its runaway fiscal deficit before a deal could be struck on a funding arrangement to address its balance of payments crisis. It said Sri Lanka needed to "reduce corruption vulnerabilities", contain spiraling inflation and bring an end to costly energy subsidies that had long been a drain on the government budget without hurting more vulnerable citizens." The country has run out of fuel and has said that "private vehicles will be barred from buying fuel until July 10. Bus services have been halted between provinces and citizens urged to work from home in a bid to save fuel. Schools also remain shut, reports The Hindu. The newspaper also reports that Sri Lankan government has "hurriedly dispatched its ministers to Russia and Qatar to seek urgent supplies" and Colombo has turned to India. Sri Lanka's high commissioner to India "on Monday met Union minister of petroleum and natural gas, Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi to discuss the possibility of 'securing petrol and diesel supplies that are required by Sri Lanka at present on an urgent basis', and 'minister Puri responded positively in this regard,' according to a statement released by Colombo" adds the report. | | Israel's Parliament dissolves, Lapid to be acting PM as the country faces 4th election in five years | | Israeli lawmakers voted to dissolve parliament following the collapse of prime minister Naftali Bennett's ruling coalition, opening the way for a November 1 election that will be Israel's fifth in less than four years. Bennett will stand down to be replaced by his coalition partner, foreign minister Yair Lapid. Associated Press says polls indicate it will be a difficult road for Lapid to defeat his main rival, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The election is set for November 1. Lapid was the architect of the outgoing coalition government — an alliance of eight diverse parties spanning the Israeli political spectrum that was bonded largely by their shared antipathy toward Netanyahu. The coalition ended the 12-year reign of Netanyahu, who was Israel's longest-serving prime minister. New York Times observes that the vote will give Netanyahu "a chance to regain power. But while polls suggest that his party, Likud, will remain the largest in Parliament, they also show that his wider right-wing alliance could still struggle to form a majority coalition — prolonging Israel's political stalemate and raising the likelihood of another election in 2023. Netanyahu is currently on trial for corruption, and his fitness for office is likely to again frame the election as a referendum on his character." Reuters says prime minister Naftali Bennett has announced that he would not run in the upcoming election but would retain his position as alternate prime minister after his coalition partner Lapid takes over as head of the caretaker government. "I leave behind a thriving, strong and secure country," he was quoted, as saying in the report. "We proved this year that people with very different opinions can work together", he added, referring to his ideologically diverse coalition. | | | | | | | | | | TOP ANALYSES OF THE WEEK | | PM Modi delivered some home truths to the West at G-7 summit | | Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reminded the West at G-7 summit that the impact of this tension is not limited to Europe, and the rising prices of energy and food grains were putting at risk the interests of the developing countries, and in that context mentioned India's supply of food grains to many needy countries, former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal writes in News18. | | G-7 need to act together to challenge Russia and China | | Former Indian ambassador to Germany Gurjit Singh writes in Firstpost that "aggregating good intentions is now the hallmark of the G-7. If G-7 nations seriously want to challenge China and Russia, they need to act together. Their procurement systems are varied, there is no trans-Atlantic FTA and the number of partnership initiatives far outnumbers any joint projects." | | India one of the few nations that can engage with both G-7 and BRICS | | ORF vice president Harsh V Pant writes in Hindustan Times that at a time when the world order is intensely polarised, India remains one of the few nations which can engage with both the G-7 and BRICS in a matter of days with élan. | | India needs to be on the ground in Afghanistan | | London University professor Avinash Paliwal writes in Hindustan Times that to view India's outreach as an endorsement of the Taliban's violence and misogyny or giving up on old allies — which it is not — misses the point that India's relations with Afghanistan are more than just about the Taliban. | | Can there be a NATO-Quad partnership? | | Can there be a partnership between the Quad and NATO? The transatlantic alliance is and will remain a regional alliance, and comparisons between the Quad and NATO seem exaggerated and premature, at best – from origins to their present forms, argues Jagannath Panda of ISDP, Sweden for Italian Institute for International Political Studies. | | Priorities of India-US ties in next decade | | Scholars and analysts from The Heritage Foundation in US and India's Observer Research Foundation weigh in on various aspects of India-US partnership, pointing at the priorities in the next decade. A lot to unpack in a series of essays in this joint effort and series of recommendations, from enhancing cooperation in emerging technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) to pursuing greater cooperation on counterterrorism, to seeking greater coordination between line ministries working on cybersecurity, etc. Read the full report here. | | India, Israel have a golden chance to step up defence cooperation | | Sameer Patil of ORF, Mumbai, writes that cooperation in various areas ranging from technology to defence has led to the opening up of a new potential partnership between the two-tech savvy democracies in India and Israel. | | Sri Lanka crisis a crushing blow to impoverished north | | In The Hindu, Meera Srinivasan writes on the affected people in Sri Lanka's north, especially women who are juggling jobs, housework and care, while persisting with their struggle for justice. | | China is dealing a death blow to German industries | | Economist Diana Choyleva of London-based Enodo Economics explains in Asia Nikkei how "Germany has lost out to China's manufacturing prowess. China's auto industry is surpassing Germany's, certainly in size and soon, perhaps, in quality. China's relentless focus on digitalization and other emerging technologies is reducing its dependence on a rival whose manufacturing and engineering heyday was in the 1970s." | | Why Israel keeps assassinating Iranian officials | | Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute tackles the question in Foreign Policy 'why does Israel keep assassinating Iranian officials?' The author argues that targeted killing has become a tool of statecraft because it works, in the sense that it achieves the limited goals prescribed: A key individual, critical to an enemy's agenda, is gone. | | PODCAST WATCH | | How China is bullying Lithuania through economic coercion | | Lithuania-China relations is an interesting case study for how Beijing deals with small states and how it applies economic pressure on target countries to change policies that it views as damaging to Chinese interests. In this episode of China Global podcast, host Bonnie Glaser speaks to Diana Mickevičienė, Lithuanian ambassador to China, to discuss the drivers of the Lithuania-China friction as well as the circumstances surrounding her departure from China. | | | | Copyright © 2022.Firstpost - All Rights Reserved. | |
