3 summits in a month: Manmohan set for intense global diplomacy

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Manish Chand | 01 Nov, 2011
Taming the international financial crisis, evolving an East Asia architecture and infusing new energy into South Asian integration -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has an action-packed November as he heads to three multilateral summits, juggling different regions and agendas.

Buoyed by an economic growth rate of over 8 percent, a laudable performance at a time when parts of the developed world are still reeling under recession, Manmohan Singh heads to the picturesque French Riviera town of Cannes Nov 2 for the G20 summit of major and emerging economies.

On top of the table will be the volatile state of the global economy which badly needs growth in emerging markets to emerge unscathed. Manmohan Singh, an economist by training and a former finance minister, is understood to have influenced the recent eurozone bailout and his skills in navigating the global crisis will be much in demand.

The G20 summit document Nov 4 is expected to reflect the long-standing demand of India for the reform of international financial institutions and a greater voice for emerging economies in Bretton Woods institutions.

Days after returning to New Delhi, Manmohan Singh goes to the Addu Atoll in the Maldives for the 17th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Nov 9.

The meet, the first SAARC summit to be held south of the equator, will see India pitching for greater economic integration in South Asia and closer collaboration on security issues.

A slew of bilateral meetings are being worked out, including one with the prime minister of Pakistan. Manmohan Singh is also poised to engage in intense diplomacy to build stronger relations with neighbouring countries, the lynchpin of the country's foreign policy.

He returns from the Maldives Nov 12.

Nearly a week later, the prime minister flies off to Bali, the venue of the 18-nation East Asia Summit and India-ASEAN summit. The summit comes at a time when there is a growing unease in the region over China's assertive postures in South China Sea and its perceived aggressiveness in relation to some of East Asian countries.

The US and Russia will formally participate in the Nov 18-19 East Asia Summit for the first time, raising the profile of the regional body that seeks to evolve an inclusive regional architecture.

Manmohan Singh's speech at the summit will be closely watched in key world capitals amid growing expectations about India playing a larger role in promoting the security and economic dynamism of the region. Manmohan Singh is likely to meet US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the summit, said reliable sources.

When US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited India early this year, she exhorted New Delhi to "think East and act East".

(Manish Chand can be contacted at manish.c@ians.in)