In 2023, India played a crucial role in global affairs, becoming a prominent voice for the global south during the G20 summit. Despite divisions over the Ukraine-Russia conflict, India achieved consensus on key issues such as debt vulnerabilities, food security, fertilizers, energy, and multilateral reforms.
India's G20 presidency marked the launch of the Global Biofuel Alliance and the India Middle-East Europe Economic Corridor. However, recent challenges, particularly the Israel-Hamas war, which has created tensions in the Middle East and the Red Sea are testing these gains.
Former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran highlighted the polarization in the global south regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, noting that India's success in preventing polarization at the G20 summit is diminishing. The situation has become more polarized globally, posing diplomatic challenges for India.
"India made a very big gain by preventing polarisation from taking place at the recent G20 summit. We were successful in getting a consensus communique of the G20. However, the success of India in preventing polarisation of the international situation has started diminishing.
The international situation today is more polarised than it has been in the recent past. So even if we are talking about India trying to be the voice of the global south, you will see that there is already a polarisation in the global south as far as the Israel-Hamas war is concerned.
A large number of countries in the global south are very much against what Israel has been doing in Gaza. So that means the diplomatic challenge for us in the region has also become somewhat more challenging than it was before," Saran said in an interview with CNBC-TV18.
Ongoing US-China tensions persist, with hopes that the San Francisco summit will ease hostilities.
Shyam Saran emphasised that the Taiwan issue is a significant concern for China, and will impact the Indo-Pacific region as well.
While India and the US achieved a historic summit in June 2023, marked by a critical jet engine deal, relations are now strained due to an alleged murder plot involving an Indian government employee targeting a US-based leader of the Sikh Separatist Movement.
The Modi government contends that countries like the US, UK, and Canada should cease providing shelter to violent extremists supporting terrorism and separatism that threaten India's sovereignty.
The targeted Sikh Separatist leader is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a key figure in the Khalistan movement, advocating for an independent Sikh state in the Indian state of Punjab based on religious identity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with Financial Times expressed a commitment to investigating any information provided, emphasizing adherence to the rule of law.
Watch the accompanying video for the entire conversation.
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