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The 18th SAARC summit was held in Nepal in 2014. The 19th summit, which was scheduled to be held in November 2016 in Pakistan, was cancelled in the fallout of the Uri attack against Indian troops, with India raising allegations of Pakistan being involved in the attack. The latest SAARC summit is planned to be held in Pakistan, Islamabad, in 2022. The 18th SAARC summit was held in Kathmandu on 26-27 November 2014, and its outcome was a 36-point Kathmandu declaration. However, the summit ended on a disappointing note, as tensions between India and Pakistan and Pakistan’s domestic compulsions prevented the signing of two major agreements.
Theme and objective
Eight member countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and nine observer countries participated in the SAARC summit. The SAARC was launched 36 years ago, in December 1985, to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and improving their quality of life, and it has witnessed 36 years of its existence, during which 18 SAARC summits have been held, and 18 Declarations unanimously approved by Heads of State or Government have been issued.
The theme for the 18th summit was “deeper integration for peace and prosperity”. This not only reaffirms the commitment of South Asian leaders to the principles and objectives of SAARC for ensuring the welfare and quality of life of the peoples of South Asia but also recognises the need and importance of reinvigorating regional cooperation and revitalising SAARC “as an effective vehicle to fulfil the developmental aspirations of the peoples of South Asia”.
The Kathmandu Declaration
Poverty alleviation, terrorism, connectivity, energy, agriculture, and food security, environment, SAFTA, and trade facilitation, strengthening and fully operationalising the SAARC Development Fund, and important social issues, such as health, education, youth, including women and children, social protection, migration, and the importance of developing and promoting South Asia as an attractive common tourist destination, were included in the SAARC summit list and were there in the Kathmandu Declaration. South Asian leaders also urged their governments to ensure that the SAARC Regional Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism and its Additional Protocol are fully implemented, particularly by passing essential laws at the national level to combat terrorism.
At the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu, South Asian leaders also reaffirmed their resolve to implement and achieve South Asia Economic Union (SAEU) “in a progressive and planned manner through a Free Trade Area, a Customs Union, a Common Market, and a shared Economic and Monetary Union”. The summit leaders directed the SAFTA Ministerial Council and SAFTA Committee of Experts to expedite and “accelerate free trade in the region” by adopting and implementing all necessary measures, such as simplified and transparent origin rules, non-tariff and para-tariff barriers, and smooth and efficient transportation facilities.
India’s role
Most of the Member States had pinned high hopes on the ability of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote an agenda of increased connectivity in order to ensure economic growth in the region. He pledged to extend all possible cooperation to SAARC countries in diverse fields, announced that India would provide an immediate medical visa for the patient and an attendant for treatment, and talked about the importance of having a good neighbour and how important South Asian problems can be addressed by the collective effort of the countries in the region. He highlighted the importance of easing travel norms within the region and improving them through rail, road, power, and transit. His plans included making infrastructure a priority, giving businesses a level playing field, and providing an easy working visa “SAARC travel card”. He also spoke about a future where companies in these nations can quickly raise funds in India for investments at home and have cross-border industrial corridors to take advantage of the natural synergies and have connected lives in our Border States.
Outcomes
At this summit, which was the latest SAARC summit to be held, the heads of member states expressed a strong desire to intensify cooperation to deepen regional integration for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and reaffirmed their commitment to SAEU. They also agreed to strengthen the social window of the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) and operationalise its economic and infrastructure windows. The SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity) was signed, under which the relevant SAARC bodies were directed to identify regional and sub-regional power generation, transmission, and trade projects, including hydropower, natural gas, solar power, wind, and biofuel, and implement them with the highest priority to meet the region’s growing demand for power. A strong commitment was also shown to lifting South Asia out of poverty by expanding investment, fostering research and development, and implementing innovative, dependable, and appropriate technology in agricultural and food-related security. The Kathmandu declaration also included the removal of the threshold criteria from the SAARC Food Bank Agreement, allowing the Member States to access food grains during emergencies and regular times of food scarcity.
The Member States agreed to share their expertise in developing the capacity to use space technology for socioeconomic growth and people’s welfare. Relevant bodies have been directed to effectively implement the SAARC Action Plan on Tourism (2006), in particular by establishing appropriate public-private partnerships. The year 2016 has been designated as the SAARC Year of Cultural Heritage.
Conclusion
Agreements on Vehicular Traffic and Railways were not signed as they were blocked by Pakistan. The reason given by Pakistan at the summit mentioned that they still had to conclude its “internal processes” on it. Aside from it, the 36-point Kathmandu Declaration 2014 has accommodated Bangladesh’s new vision for joint development in the region bounded by the waters of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 15th point in the Declaration, the SAARC leaders recognised “the manifold contributions of ocean-based Blue Economy in the SAARC Region and the need for collaboration and partnership in this area”. It also showed the region’s strong commitment to fighting issues like poverty and terrorism and developing the required infrastructure to meet the region’s energy and transport needs. Overall, many leaders emphasised the need for regional cooperation among the South Asian nations to achieve several goals collectively.
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.
