Expanding horizons

Expanding horizons

Context:

India’s ‘Look West’ Policy is evolving rapidly

India-UAE Relationship:

• Trade and economic ties are becoming central to the India-UAE relationship.
• A landmark pact awarding a consortium of Indian oil companies a 10% stake in offshore oil concession will be the first Indian investment in the UAE’s upstream oil sector, transforming a traditional buyer-seller relationship into a long-term investor relationship with stakes in each other’s strategic sectors.
• A MoU aimed at institutionalising the collaborative administration of contractual employment of Indian workers has also been signed.
• There has also been growing convergence between the two countries on tackling terrorism.

India and Oman:

•  China’s expanding footprint in the Indian Ocean Region has alerted India to the possibility of strengthening security ties with littoral states.
• India is likely to step up its military presence in Oman.
• Naval cooperation has already been gaining momentum with Muscat giving berthing rights to Indian naval vessels to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
• India and Oman have not only made military cooperation more expansive during P.M. Modi’s visit but also made an attempt to take the relationship to other domains: by enhancing cooperation in the field of health, tourism and peaceful uses of outer space.

Way Forward:

• India’s engagement with West Asia should now focus on delivering on its commitments and strengthening its presence as an economic and security partner.
• This will be crucial as traditional powers such as the U.S. and Russia are jostling militarily, even as America’s stakes in the region decline by the day.
• India has been still stuck in the age-old debates of Israel-Arab rivalry, West Asia has moved on.
• Growing rivalry between the Sunni Arabs and Shia Iran has been reshaping old relationships and India will have to be more pragmatic in its approach towards the region