Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez,
Vice Ministers from the Foreign Ministry,
Excellencies,
Members of the Diplomatic Core,
Colleagues in diplomatic service,
I'm really very, very pleased to be here today in your company at this event which the diplomatic school has organized, because it has brought together all of us who are united in the choice of diplomacy as our chosen career. Now in my own diplomatic experience currently at 46 years, I have also listened sitting there to various thinkers and practitioners of diplomacy who have shared their insights and their experiences. And many of them were from regions and cultures different from my own and I must say that over a period of time, they helped to broaden my perspective. I therefore very much hope that today's session too would be approached and perceived in that same spirit that we would have at the conclusion of my talk an open and energetic conversation on the issues of the day.
Now to start that off let me offer my thoughts on three themes. One, how does India approach the world and secure its growing global interests. Two, more specifically how is India engaging Latin America. And three what should India, today's India and tomorrow's India mean to you. Now like any other country, India's most pressing priorities are obviously in its neighborhood. Given its size and economic strength it is very much for the collective benefit that India takes a generous and non-reciprocal approach to cooperation with smaller neighbors. And that's exactly what we have done in the last decade under Prime Minister Modi and this in our region has come to be known as the Neighborhood First Policy. It has seen a dramatic expansion in connectivity, in contacts, in cooperation across the region. The exception to this of course is Pakistan in view of the cross-border terrorism that it supports. But whether it is the COVID challenge or more recent debt pressures, India has always stepped up for its neighbors. The case of Sri Lanka where it has extended more than $4 billion of economic support is notable recently. Beyond South Asia, India is developing the concept of extended neighborhoods, extended neighborhoods in all directions, with the ASEAN this has taken the form of what we call the Act East Policy, that has opened up a pathway to a deeper engagement with the Indo-Pacific that is being pursued amongst others, through a mechanism called the Quad. Towards the West there has been a perceptible intensification of India's relationship with the Gulf and with the Middle East. One reflection of that is a new grouping called I2U2, comprising of India, Israel, UAE and USA. These two regions on either side have emerged as major trade and investment hubs for India. About 8 million Indians live and work in the Gulf but the relationship is much more than economic, it encompasses security, technology and strong people-to-people ties. To the South the outlook that shapes India's thinking goes by the acronym of SAGAR, this is an Indian word for oceans. For the first time in 2015, Prime Minister Modi articulated a comprehensive view that spanned the entirety of the Indian Ocean and its Islands. These subsequently became the building block for the Indo-Pacific vision that emerged thereafter. To the north, India has been similarly pursuing a strategy of connecting to Central Asia more effectively and this has taken the form of structured engagements across multiple domains.
These concentric circles of priority give you a conceptual sense of Indian diplomacy and one that we have pursued very assiduously over the last decade. But at a higher level we are also practicing the approach of engaging all major centers of power, such multi-alignment reflects the reality of multipolarity. Obviously each engagement has its own particular weight and focus but whether it is the United States, Europe, Russia or Japan, we are trying to ensure that all ties, all these ties advance without seeking exclusivity. China falls in a somewhat different category because of the boundary dispute and the currently abnormal nature of our ties. That is an outcome of a violation of agreements regarding border management by them. The rise of China and India in a parallel time frame is also not without its competitive aspects. When India looks at other regions be it Africa, the Pacific or Latin America much of what is happening can be explained as the emergence of India's potential global footprint. In many cases it is the result of autonomous forces, such as business or mobility. In others it is part of a more considered strategy of deeper engagement. As an illustration, in recent years, we have opened 18 new embassies in Africa alone. Our development partnership today covers 78 countries and is reflected in almost 600 projects globally.
I will address our engagement with Latin America separately. While much of the diplomacy is understandably bilateral, let me emphasize that India has always been a staunch votary of multilateralism. We believe that this is fundamental to the maintenance of global order. Our contributions have been significant over the years especially in peacekeeping. The challenge however is the resistance to reforming multilateralism particularly the working of the United Nations and its bodies. The longer this carries on, the weaker multilateralism will become. One sign of that is the growth of minilateralism and plurilateralism. More countries are going to find arrangements among themselves on pressing issues when they find that the United Nations cannot rise to a challenge. Overall India is a nation that is deeply committed to promoting collective solutions for global good. Our Presidency of the G20 this year is devoted to focusing on the real challenges to Global development and Global growth.
Allow me now, to say a few words about India's engagement with Latin America. In the last decade there has been a conscious deepening of this process. We have had 33 high-level visits from India to the region, six each at the level of President and Vice President and four at the level of Prime Minister. In turn we have hosted 37 high-level dignitaries, seven at the level of President. Two new embassies have been opened one in the Dominican Republic and one in Paraguay. But the real story is the economic one. Our trade with Latin America is today approaching a volume of U.S $50 billion. Our exports to Brazil at $6.48 billion is more than that to Japan at $6.18 billion that to Mexico at $4.43 billion is more than to Canada at $3.7 billion. In fact even with the Dominican Republic our exports are $329 million is more than some ASEAN Partners like Cambodia. There is also a surge in investments most notably in the energy sector. India today imports crude from Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Guyana. Our presence in sectors like I.T., pharmaceuticals and two wheelers is increasingly visible. Not least, Indian companies are engaged in project and enterprises from power transmission and road building to agriculture and mining. The political engagement is also growing in parallel. Since 2016 we have a structured engagement with CELAC, I held the last meeting with its troika in September 2022. Similarly there is an arrangement to regularly interact with both CARICOM and SICA. In fact on this current visit, I participated in both these exercises at the level of Foreign Ministers. India is an associate member of the Pacific Alliance and has a preferential trade agreement with MERCOSUR since 2009. The fact is that deeper globalization and a broadening of India's interests, Latin America is no longer considered a region too far. So what does all of this mean to you or if I can put it somewhat differently, where should possibly where does India feature in your calculations? Let me give you 10 reasons why you need to pay greater attention to our relationship.
One, as the fifth largest economy currently likely to become the third perhaps by the end of the decade, our economic presence will be more strongly felt in this region. Indian goods and services will be more visible and our demand for resources from this continent will grow commensurately, both as a producer and as a consumer India will matter more to you. Second, not just as a populous, as the most populous country but also one of growing skills and talent, we are becoming increasingly central to the global workplace. This is especially so in the era of a knowledge economy. Already a number of countries are seeking mobility agreements to this end. 34 million Indians and people of Indian origin live and work abroad, that number will only grow further with the passage of time. Third, the big change of our era is the digital revolution. In recent years India has built on a digital backbone to transform governance and ensure delivery of public goods and services, side by side it has had a revolutionary impact on business including health, education, innovation and retail. It has enabled the rapid creation of a social safety net on a scale that could not even be contemplated earlier. Today India's executing programs whose beneficiaries number approximately the populations of many major countries sometimes even continents. This democratization of technology has also led to an empowerment with deep social consequences. In that sense India's digital experience holds lessons for the world. Four, a parallel story is taking place in the domain of health, the COVID period underlined India's true potential in this regard. We supplied vaccines to almost 100 countries many of them as the first provider, an enhanced quantity of medicines to 150 countries including many developed ones. But on a more lasting basis India is emerging as an example of affordable and accessible health care, including for populations at low income levels. Five, another big change is in climate action. Since COP-21 in Paris we are steadfastly discharging our responsibility of being a climate leader. The growth of renewables, the impact of energy efficiency and the consequence of lifestyle changes have truly been remarkable. The big ideas in this domain are also coming out of India such as the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the proposal which Prime Minister Modi tabled in Glasgow of what he called One Sun, One World, One Grid. Even India's advocacy of millets this year as a food for greater consumption in the world has very strong climate implications. In a world that is more self-obsessed, India has also stepped into the role of a first responder in humanitarian assistance and disaster rescue situations. Initially this was largely in our immediate neighborhood on occasions like the Yemen Civil War or the Nepal earthquake, more recently it was visible during the Turkiye earthquake. Seven, shaping global debates to ensure a more inclusive approach is another big issue of our times. Historically India has been deeply committed to the well-being and progress of the Global South. As we assumed the G20 Presidency Prime Minister Modi decided to consult a 125 nations to ensure that we spoke for this larger constituency on the pressing issues of the day and Minister you participated in that exercise. Eight, in the aftermath of COVID and the Ukraine conflict, it is clear that the globalization model of the last two decades is now simply too risky. We are excessively dependent on a single geography. To de-risk the global economy, there is a search for more reliable and resilient supply chains. In the digital domain, there is a parallel emphasis on promoting trust and transparency. We have the potential to be one more engine of growth for the global economy. Nine, as globalization unfolds and multipolarity emerges, the process of rebalancing among countries, cultures and regions also gather strength. This was initially apparent in the economic domain, now more so in the political though, but its cultural manifestation is no less significant. The world will become more democratic and more diverse with the passage of time and India's culture, heritage and traditions will make the due contribution. Yoga perhaps is a good example to reflect on a very obvious one.
And finally and I have deliberately kept it to the end to emphasize this point. In a world where values and beliefs are much more deeply appreciated, the significance of India's democracy cannot be overstated and I therefore thank you Minister, particularly for making that point. Today we can say that India is not just a democracy but it is a democracy that delivers, and it draws on its own consultative and inclusive traditions to do so. Do appreciate that India's democratic choice has had truly global repercussions and therefore so does its success. So let me conclude by underlining that we live in a more volatile and uncertain world, there are two big contradictions of our times. One is the polarization between the East and the West. The other is the divide between the North and the South. India has a bridging role in both. Its ability to engage multiple and competing interests makes its position relatively unique to varying degrees that too serves as an example. So I hope that these remarks have given you all some food for thought. I'd be delighted to respond to your comments and questions.
Thank you very much.