Washington bombshell defused, African odyssey begins
Some tensions in the India-US relationship in recent months notwithstanding, South Block was quite unprepared for the extent of the US – Pakistan bonhomie at Pakistan Premier Imran Khan’s meeting with US President Donald Trump. And it certainly did not expect a statement on mediation in Kashmir from the US President, sitting with the Pakistan Prime Minister, and saying the Indian Prime Minister himself had sought such mediation or arbitration.
This was a bombshell, and officials of the Ministry of External Affairs literally scrambled to take cover as everyone from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and officials down the line including Joint Secretary in the PMO Gopal Baglay, after being alerted by Indian Ambassador Harsh Shringla in Washington and officials and American diplomats in New Delhi, began to work the phones after midnight to check every word that had been said at the Trump-Khan joint presser at the White House. The National Security Advisor was also alerted and MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted the initial denial saying the Indian prime minister had made no such request. Records were crosschecked and once it was absolutely established that Modi had made no such request, the next hurdle was to ensure that any statement was not overtly critical of the US President and finessed any mention of words like truth. For someone as ‘sensitive’ as Trump, any implication that he was being accused of falsehood had to be removed. So the statement was a mere reiteration of India’s position. South Block left it to the State Department in Foggy Bottom to explain why Trump said what he did.
Expecting the critical domestic backlash to last a few days, Jaishankar opted to skip the BRICS foreign ministerial meet in Brasilia, sending Gen V K Singh (retd), Minister of State for Transport, for the meeting at which the other four foreign ministers; China’s Wang Yi, Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, Brazil’s Ernesto Araujo and South Africa’s Grace Naledi Pandor; were present. The statement issued after the ministerial level talks, which were preparatory to the November summit said, “The Ministers agreed to further deepen BRICS three-pillar-driven cooperation in the areas of economy, peace and security and people-to-people exchanges.”
For India there was a shot in the arm when the BRICS statement, on Afghanistan, sought “international and national efforts to achieve an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process.” India has been largely left out of the peace negotiations on Afghanistan because of its insistence on an “Afghan-led, Afghan controlled process,” where the Kabul government and not the Taliban are central to the process.
Africa is an area where India’s engagement has been sought and is on the rise. President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Benin, Gambia and Guinea will be his fourth visit to the African continent, indicating how crucial the continent has become to India’s efforts to reignite it’s sluggish economy and trade.
India is also looking at raising its investments in Africa. While the President is not visiting Mozambique this time, a recent informal ministerial group meeting reviewed the state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd’s USD2.4 billion investment proposal in Rovuma a giant gas field in Mozambique. This could be a major policy plank for India to reposition in Africa and move towards energy security.
Almost a trillion cubic feet of natural gas has been discovered in Rovuma Offshore Area. This can be converted into liquefied natural gas (LNG) for sale to overseas customers in ships. BPCL holds 10 % stake in the project. Once finalised, the project will be placed before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for implementation.
According to reports, ONGC Videsh Ltd and Oil India Ltd also possess stakes worth billions in the Rovuma gas field in Mozambique. The three Indian oil majors feel that the project is viable and could pave the way for major Indian stakes in the African continent.
The Mozambique government has approved the development plan for GolfinhoAtum, a natural gas field in Rovuma offshore basin, in which ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), Oil India Ltd (OIL), and Bharat PetroResources Limited (BPRL) have a stake. This paves a way for further investment into the natural gas field of the southern African nation. The Indian companies have reportedly invested over USD6.5 billion in the project so far.
India is also looking at raising its investments in Africa. While the President is not visiting Mozambique this time, a recent informal ministerial group meeting reviewed the state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd’s USD2.4 billion investment proposal in Rovuma a giant gas field in Mozambique. This could be a major policy plank for India to reposition in Africa and move towards energy security