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Mongolia is a landlocked central Asian republic wedged between China and Russia. The relationship between India and Mongolia is described as amicable. His Excellency Mr. Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, paid a state visit to Mongolia from May 16 to 18, 2015, at the request of His Excellency Mr. Chimediin Saikhanbileg, Prime Minister of Mongolia. The Indian prime minister described his visit to Mongolia as “historic and ground-breaking,” claiming that it will lead the relationship between the two countries to “spectacular heights.” In total, 13 agreements were signed between the two countries, including aviation services, cybersecurity and the transfer of convicted convicts.
About the Visit
PM Modi went to Mongolia to commemorate the country’s 25th anniversary of democracy. The two countries celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations in December. Mongolia, which has significant uranium reserves, also inked a civil nuclear cooperation pact with India in 2009. They also expressed satisfaction with the ongoing development of bilateral relations within the context of a comprehensive partnership built on deep civilizational, historical, spiritual and cultural ties, shared democratic traditions and a shared desire for regional and international peace and stability.
The two prime ministers committed to strengthening the India-Mongolia comprehensive collaboration by elevating it to a Strategic Partnership that is helpful to the world community’s common cause of peace and prosperity and consistent with the common interests of our two countries and people.
Highlights of the Visit
The highlights of the visit are as follows:
- Raising the ties to the level of “strategic collaboration.”
- Mongolia has been granted USD 1.0 billion lines of credit to help it strengthen its institutions, infrastructure and people resources.
- The two prime ministers recognized that they had mutual interests in cybersecurity and chose to work together to preserve the integrity and inviolability of this global common.
- Increasing the two countries’ defence and security cooperation.
- Establishing mutually advantageous trade, investment and economic ties through collaboration.
- Mongolia’s efforts to build a business-friendly foreign investment policy will continue to be supported by India.
- Collaboration in the fields of animal health and diary-keeping: Amul to assist Mongolia in creating a cooperative dairy infrastructure.
- The Mongolian Prime Minister thanked India for its support in the development of peaceful nuclear energy in Mongolia and praised the gift of a Bhabhatron-II teletherapy unit and a Radiotherapy Simulator to Mongolia’s National Cancer Centre, which was designed, developed and manufactured in India.
- In the realm of renewable energy, collaboration is encouraged.
- For the period 2015-2018, cooperation in the field of culture will be pursued.
- At the request of the other Party, the two prime ministers agreed to grant up to 5 scholarships per year to students studying Mongolian and Hindi languages, as well as Mongolian and Indian culture, in respective academic institutions.
- Both Prime Ministers agreed to start a joint translation endeavour of the “Holy Tripitaka” into Mongolian to rediscover their shared cultural history.
Leverage Mineral Resources
Mongolia’s mineral resources are estimated to be worth more than USD 1.0 trillion. Mongolia has massive deposits of gold, copper and iron ore. The reserves of coal, petroleum and uranium are estimated at 170 billion tonnes, 205 million tonnes and 68,000 tonnes, respectively. Collaboration in gold, copper and iron ore mining is expected to benefit both countries’ economic development.
Mongolia is rich in minerals, but India has continually been denied access to these resources to favour China. The huge Tavan Tolgoi coal resources were taken over in 2014 by China’s Shenhua Corporation, Japan’s Sumitomo Corp and Energy Resources LLC. India put out a flimsy bid that had little chance of succeeding. In 2009, India inked a uranium contract with Mongolia, but it did not go anywhere, and Indians have since cooled off.
Mangolia’s large uranium and petroleum reserves are of particular relevance. Because India lacks self-sufficiency in both uranium and petroleum, both of which are essential for energy security, close energy cooperation can help to alleviate many of India’s problems. Mongolia is one of the first countries to reach an agreement with India on uranium. The two prime ministers agreed to encourage Indian companies to explore the potential for joint partnerships and investment in Mongolia’s mining sector.
Conclusion
The Prime Ministers of the two countries agreed to work closely on issues discussed and agreed upon during Prime Minister Modi’s official talks with Mongolian leadership. The prime ministers used existing bilateral mechanisms and all other available means of communication to ensure concrete outcomes of bilateral cooperation in the years ahead. The state visit of the Prime Minister of India has helped to strengthen the long-standing, friendly and cooperative connections between Mongolia and India. It has aided in the development of the newly formed bilateral partnership.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ireland on September 23, 2015. It was the second time an Indian Prime Minister had visited Ireland. The first being Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit in 1956. Ireland is an island nation located in Northwestern Europe and surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean.
The Prime Minister of Ireland, Enda Kenny, had hosted PM Modi during his visit. The PM was attended by other dignitaries such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charles Flanagan, and Ireland’s Ambassador to India, Feilim McLaughlin. The main aim of the visit was to create stronger ties and improve trade and cultural relations. Described below is the impact of the PM’s Ireland visit.
Impact on trade and commerce
India and Ireland have strong bilateral trade and business relations. Before the PM’s visit, trades with Ireland were valued at €650 million in business in 2014. This included exports worth €248m and imports worth €402 million.
The indigenous exports increased from €32 million in 2012 to €55 million in 2014. In 2019, the total bilateral trade was around €1.2 billion. The exports and the imports have also increased to €636 million and €480 million respectively. Currently, the total trade between India and Ireland is valued at €4.2 billion. This resulted from improved bilateral ties between the two nations, owing to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ireland.
Indian Companies in Ireland
Many Indian companies carry out trade and commerce in Ireland. They provide services to Irish markets and consumers across various industries. Pharmaceutical giants such as Reliance Genemedix and Amneal Pharmaceuticals operate in Ireland. Major IT companies such as Wipro, Infosys, TCS, and HCL also have a strong presence in the country. The trade relations were bolstered after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ireland.
Other companies like Crompton Greaves, Deepak Fasteners, Jain irrigation systems, and Shapoorji Pallonji provide consumer goods and services. Likewise, many Irish companies conduct their business in the Indian market. These companies include pharmaceutical and nutrition players like ICON and Glanbia, IT firms like Globoforce and other companies like Keventer, CRH Taxback Group, and Connolly Red Mills.
Impact on Education
Ireland has been a coveted destination for higher education for Indian students. Over 5000 Indian students have enrolled for higher studies in various institutions in Ireland. The students are admitted to engineering, technology, medicine and management colleges. More than 30 research agreements have been signed between the two nations that allow institutes in both countries to collaborate.
Many reputed institutes like Trinity College, Dublin, and Thapar University, Patiala, have signed MOUs for engineering and science disciplines programmes. Thus, Ireland is an essential collaborator in graduate and doctoral research. This collaboration is also considered an impact of the PM’s Ireland visit.
Indian Community in Ireland
Ireland is diplomatically significant for India also due to the large number of Indian citizens residing there. The Indian origin population is approximately 45,000 people, of whom 18,500 are Non-Resident Indians (NRI), and others are Persons of Indian Origin (PIO). The majority of the residents are working professionals employed in engineering, healthcare and management positions.
It has helped in establishing many policies for the Indian origin population. Two such policies in practice are wearing hijab as a part of the police uniform and the non-requirement of obtaining an additional work permit for the spouse or the partner of Critical Skill Employment Permit holders.
Cultural Impact
As a result of a large population of Indian origin citizens in Ireland and the relationship between the two nations, Ireland promotes Indian culture in various forms. One such example is the celebration of Diwali in Ireland since 2008. The event is organised every year in collaboration with Irish and Indian committees.
Further, an annual contemporary film festival is also a part of the celebration of Indian culture. The promotion of such events indicates the importance of cultural exchange between the two nations. The Irish communities also take a keen interest in conventional practices such as cultivating and consuming Indian herbs and spices. This connects the agricultural practices between the two nations. The cultural ties between the countries were strong, and Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ireland helped strengthen them further.
Another significant practice is the celebration of International Yoga Day in Ireland. The Irish communities have accepted Yoga as a form of a healthy lifestyle. The practice is similar to the Indian tradition.
Tourism
India attracts around 44,000 Irish tourists every year. Indian tourists too visit Ireland in similar numbers. This was facilitated by the introduction of the common British-Irish visa scheme. This scheme allows the tourists to visit the U.K. and Ireland under one visa, rather than applying for two separate visas. It is valid for short stays. India also extended its Electronic Tourist Visa facility to Ireland to digitally facilitate visa approval and generation. The impact of the PM’s Ireland visit was such that it has also helped establish the tourism sector in both countries.
Conclusion
The diplomatic ties between Ireland and India have been impacted positively after Prime Minister Modi visited Ireland in 2015. It was an essential step toward strengthening the bilateral relationship between these two nations. India and Ireland have been important to each other since the 1900s.
In 2010 and 2017, two honorary consulates were established in Chennai and Kolkata. Later in 2019, a formal and fully functional consulate general in Mumbai. Ireland and India have also shown their allegiance to fighting terrorism after the Pulwama attack. India has also hosted several Irish dignitaries on various occasions. These visits were directed toward engagement in business, education, health and tourism.
Further, many agreements were signed to provide opportunities for employment to people of both countries. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ireland helped revive relatively stagnant relations between these two nations. Several cultural and historically similar instances bind these two nations. From Yeats and Tagore to cricket and Diwali, the cultural semblance between these two nations has helped create a strong tie between them.
