Holland House in Colombia
By: Joel Brounen.
Senior Official on Economic Affairs
And Corporate and Social Responsibilities
Embassy of The Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bogotá.
For additional pictures click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/
With 48 million inhabitants, Colombia is one of the main emerging economies of Latin America. It is categorized as one of the CIVET-countries, the new BRIC’s of the 21st century. Colombia ranks high on a global competitive survey for business sophistication and investor protection. The bilateral trade relations between Colombia and the Netherlands follow the growth trend of the Colombian economy, but also show a persistent trade surplus in favor of Colombia.
Colombian exports to the Netherlands; its fourth most important destination, increased more than tenfold since 2002. Over 80% of these exports comprise coal and oil. The Netherlands, mainly through the Port of Rotterdam, is also by far the foremost destination of Colombian exports to the European Union.
One of the main objectives of the current Dutch Foreign Economic Policy, is bringing together and stimulating investment and business opportunities with the support of capacities and knowledge of government and business communities. This has resulted in the overall interest from the Royal Netherlands Embassy and locally established Dutch and Colombian companies, in setting up a public-private business support entity in Colombia, in cooperation with the Netherlands Latin American Business Council. This so-called Holland House, serves as a hub location for different initiatives of the business community and of organizations that maintain close relations between the countries.
Holland House is the first of its kind in the world. It is considered as a new and innovative formula within the Dutch Foreign Economic diplomacy. Through means of this public-private initiative it tries to serve better the needs of Dutch companies abroad by offering a wider range of services.
Cuscatlán*
By Vladimiro P.Villalta, Ambassador of the Republic of El Salvador.
Centroamericanos,
Paz no es una utopía,
es la sublime realización del ser humano,
unidos la forjaremos!
VPV
I take this pleasant opportunity that the Diplomat Magazine offers me – which I appreciate – to express our gratitude to the Kingdom of the Netherlands for its continuous approach and cooperation with my country, El Salvador and with Central America.
I would like to extent more about this productive relationship between both our countries, however, the magic of The Hague, as the “City of Peace and Justice”, moves me to take Justice and Peace to present three Salvadorian characters whose traces prove how the human factor distinguished and dignified our people and how it is always determined and essential to achieve universal values which are still being sought and generate hope in humanity.
Dr. Jose Gustavo Guerrero was a Salvadorian diplomat and jurist. He served as the last President of the Permanent Court of International Justice from 1937 to 1945; he was also the first President of the International Court of Justice from 1946 to 1949 and remained on the Court as a regular judge until his death in 1958. Jose Gustavo Guerrero represents “the continuity” in the International Court of Justice.
Consuelo de Saint-Exupery was a Salvadorian writer and artist and wife of the French aristocrat and writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery. She was the muse of Saint-Exupery for “The Little Prince”; she was “the Rose”, the unique and special rose, whom the Prince loves. The Little Prince is the most read and translated book in the French language.
One of the beautiful message of this book is “One sees clearly only with the heart, what is essential is invisible to the eyes”.
San Romero de America, the Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was shot to death while saying mass in El Salvador on March 24, 1980. He’s seen as a hero to many because of his solidarity with the poor and his opposition to human rights abuses. Archbishop Romero was a martyr for the faith and he is one of the ten 20th-century martyrs who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey in London.
*Cuscatlán was the pre-Columbian name of the Republic of El Salvador in Central America
Royal Visit to Colombia
By Eduardo Pizarro Leongómez, Ambassador of Colombia.
Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima paid an official visit to Colombia on 22 November. Their Majesties were received by the President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos and his wife María Clemencia Rodríguez de Santos.
President Santos expressed to the King and Queen the importance that this visit symbolizes, as it will allow to advance in strengthening the relations with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is a traditional partner and strategic ally within the European Union.
In addition, President Santos spoke with the King and Queen of the Netherlands about the progress of the peace process, for which His Majesty the King William-Alexander expressed an eventual support to the post-conflict process.
Besides these subjects, the agenda of the meeting also included issues related to cooperation with special emphasis on environment and water resources.
The visit to Colombia of Their Majesties was also an excellent opportunity to strengthen the relations with Caribbean territories of the Kingdom, with whom Colombia has an important agenda in different areas such as in agriculture, culture and education, infrastructure, oil and gas, health and tourism.
President Santos was also accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, María Ángela Holguín; and the Ministers of Industry, Commerce and Tourism; Finance and Public Credit; Mines and Energy; Environment and Development and Agriculture.
The delegation that accompanied the King and Queen of the Netherlands was composed by Frans Timmermans, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Michiel Eman, Prime Minister of Aruba; Ivar Asjes, Prime Minister of Curacao; Sarah Wescot-Williams, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten; and Robert Van Embden, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bogotá.
Colombia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1829. Both States have diplomatic representation in Bogotá and The Hague, respectively.
The Netherlands is a strategic partner of Colombia in water related subjects. The Netherlands supported the establishment of the National Policy for Comprehensive Management of Water Resources –PNGIRH, published in March 2010 and is currently developing a project for implementation and feedback of the planning of the PNGIRH through the formulation of the Strategic Plan for the macro-basin of the Magdalena – Cauca Rivers and the formulation and/or adjustment of four Plans for the Planning and Management of Basins.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands has historically provided cooperation to Colombia for the strengthening of the environmental sector. Such cooperation is reflected in the development of projects that have had great achievements, like the strengthening of the protected areas systems, the consolidation of planning and legislation processes in departments (provinces) and local areas, the consolidation of sociocultural, environmental and economic processes in the Colombian Amazon, the improvement of management of land in small rural communities, accompanying in the planning of coordinate use and management of the renewable natural resources.
Finally, it is important to highlight that the entrance of The Netherlands to the Pacific Alliance as an ObserverState, on 1st November 2013, will also contribute to strengthen the relations between the Kingdom of The Netherlands and the members of the Alliance and particularly with the Republic of Colombia. For additional pictures please click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/
“Urbi and orbi”
“Urbi and orbi”, the Independence of Angola
By Luis Jose Almedia, Ambassador of the Republic of Angola.
Excellences,
Mister and Misses Ambassadors,
Dear Friends,
We have recently celebrated the 38th anniversary of the independence of my beloved country: Angola. Let us remember some history: Thirty eight years ago, at midnight of the memorable 11º of November of 1975, our late president, the great Agostinho Neto proclaimed urbi and orbi before Africa and the world the independence of Angola.
Thirty eight years later, where do we find ourselves?
Angola is a fully sovereign and independent country, respected throughout the world, and that has been paving its way through prosperity since its independence.
Reconstructing our country after several years of war has been a focal point for us: Roads, Railroads, Airports and Ports, hospitals and housing have been flourishing in the past few years, but also schools and universities as well as training centers in order to fight illiteracy and allowing our children to have access to school have raised as well.
Illiteracy for instance has gone from 99% in 1975 to 33% today to hopefully being eradicated by 2017.
The political stability has allowed us to have a fast growing economy based on the collaboration of our friends and economic and financial partners but mostly by the utilization of our natural resources and the governmental effort into reducing poverty.
We have, as a diplomatic representation, been here since 2011 and our government’s decision in opening the embassy in the Netherlands comes from the desire to strengthen our relationship with this great nation in the perspective of developing even more strategic partnerships between our two countries and for us to benefit from the entrepreneurship know-how and dynamism Dutch companies are known for.
To conclude, I would like to thank a great man, who also happens to be a great friend of my country, Mr. Paul Staal, a founding member of the Angolan Komitee, who supported the liberation struggle of Angola.
I would also like to thank an Angola company, ASC – Angola Steel Corporation, represented by my daughter Sanga, for helping us bring a musical band from Angola during our National Day and allowing us to share some of our culture that evening.
Long live the friendship between Angola and the Netherlands !
Guatemala Land of the Eternal Spring…Land for Investments
By Jorge Alfredo Lemcke Arévalo, Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Permanent Representative to International Organizations.
It is a pleasure for us as an Embassy to write a small article in this journal, that without any doubts has reached the attention of the Diplomatic Community in the Netherlands. We avail this opportunity to wish the Diplomatic Magazine and cooperating partners the best of success in their duties and for their future success.
The Embassy of Guatemala in The Kingdom of the Netherlands also has a permanent representation to some Courts and Organizations based in the Netherlands. With this in mind, the Government of Guatemala has reiterated its compromise to International Peace and Justice by different ways, been among them in 2012 the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, both based in The Hague.
It is also wise to say dear readers that Guatemala has held amicable and commercial relations with the Netherlands and neighboring countries since decades ago. Guatemala opened its Embassy and Permanent Representation in the year 2001, when a delegation composed of great diplomatics decided to establish an embassy to strengthen the relations with our host country.
As many of you may know, Guatemala is located in a position with access to both oceans and a free circulation of goods among the Central American countries, including Panama and some Caribbean countries. This is privileged location and with an area of 108, 889 Sq.Km (42,042 sq.mi) and more than 15 million inhabitants which account for 40% of the total population in the Central America Region, being 70% of the Guatemalan population under 40 years old.
Guatemala is the proud host of the Central American Parliament, composed by the representatives from the Central American region (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Dominican Republic) counting with the prestigious presence as observer states of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Taiwan, and most recently the State of Chiapas of the MexicanRepublic.
As stated above, due to its privileged position, Guatemala represents 35% of the Central America Region´s economy (US$50 of US$145 Billion) positioned as a business Hub in the Mesoamerican region.
The Government is firmly committed to encourage and promote foreign and direct investment, creating and maintaining a legal framework and legal certainty for investors, excellent economic performance that guarantees a competitive business climate.
Tourism is a strategic sector, being the second currency income generator of the country; as well as an important employment source for both direct and indirect jobs. In 2012 the income for tourism surpassed the US$1,400 million, with a 5% growth rate. More than 1.9 million visitors were register in 2012 and as far of April 2013, there has already been an 8.3%. increase
In other matters, is important to state that Guatemala possesses a unique cultural and abundant natural richness; which provides a broad tourist offer. The distances between the attractions are so short that one can easily visit different regions during the same trip. Guatemala Its known as the land of the eternal spring, and its pleasant weather conditions allow the visitors to travel during any time of the year. Guatemala is the Heart of the Mayan World. The Mayan Civilization legacy is still evident in the traditions and culture of its people.
for more information visit:
www.investinguatemala.org,
www.visitguatemala.com
Interview with Oger Lusink
By Bonnie Klap.
Mention the name Oger and immediately images of stylish suits and shoes come to mind. But what exactly does the word ‘style’ mean to Mr. Oger Lusink, founder and owner of the famous OGER men’s clothing stores?
“To me a stylish man is educated. He is reliable. He is a man of the moment.”
Why should Diplomats consider wearing suits from Oger?
“At Oger we are able to dress our clients on an international level, so they can perform anywhere and they can ‘dress to impress.’ More impressive than say, with a Hugo Boss-suit. We can make every man look smarter in a good suit.”
It is well known that Oger dresses famous football-players from clubs like Ajax and Feyenoord. In what way do those suits differ from the ones you would suggest to Diplomats for instance?
“Naturally there is a big difference in the way we dress football-players and Diplomats. Football players like to look sharp and typically opt for black, narrow suits, Italian style. Something like Dolce and Gabbana, whereas we would advise Diplomats to opt for the traditional ‘London Tailor Style’.’”
Prime-Minister Mark Rutte is known for his stylish suits and was even ranked number 3 on the Forbes-list for best dressed politicians. And the magazine Vanity Fair described Mark Rutte’s style as following: ‘His classic style suggests his tailor must be as good as his optomotrist. ’ Is it true that Oger dresses the Prime Minister?
“Certainly. The Prime-Minister is our client. Actually we just recently took care of his wardrobe for his state visit to Indonesia. The Prime-Minister always wears handmade suits and shirts from Oger. The suits are either dark blue or, when he wants to be less formal, dark grey. When he wears a dark blue suit, he will wear a white shirt and a bordeaux-red tie, when wearing a dark grey suit, he will opt for a baby-blue shirt and usually a blue-striped tie. Naturally we give him a very special service and our tailors come to the little ‘Tower’ to do the fittings. Prime-Minister Mark Rutte is a loyal customer and we are very proud of having him as our customer.”
Are you at liberty to discuss any other so called celebrity-customers?
“Well, it is quite well-known that Prince Maurits is also a customer at Oger. He always looks very good and he is a perfect symbol of the way we like to work.”
Oger stores can be found in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Antwerp.
Or shop on line at:
www.oger.nl
Interview with Mr. Kevin O’Malley.
By Bonnie Klap
Mr. Kevin O’Malley, husband of Ambassador Mary Whelan of Ireland, warmly welcomes us in their residence in Wassenaar. He comes across as easygoing, friendly and knowledgeable, not entirely surprising, given the fact that he has sailed the world seas for decades and, in a positive way, has “seen it all.” This Navy-man has visited a vast number of countries and seems to thoroughly enjoy living in Holland. When I gently prod him to name a favorite Dutch town or city he has visited, he diplomatically refuses to name one in particular.
“We have explored as many towns and cities as time permitted and a lot of it by bicycle. We made it a point to visit a different place every weekend and what strikes me is that this supposedly is a crowded country, but it just doesn’t seem that way. Everything is so orderly and you have such beautiful cycle-lanes here, they are no doubt the envy of the world. Granted, the cities are bustling, but that’s the way they are supposed to be. People are very friendly and the Dutch have a reputation for frankness, but I find that refreshing,” according to Mr. O’Malley. He does admit to being particularly impressed by Delftshaven, because of its maritime history.
“But then again, I also like Maastricht, the islands Texel and Schiermonnikoog and even Schiedam, where you can find some beautiful canals and interesting little houses,” he quickly adds.
It is evident Mr. O’Malley really enjoys living in Holland, but surely, there must be something he dislikes about Holland, I ask him?
“Well, I do have one pet-peeve about The Netherlands. The people all speak such excellent English, that it is very difficult to learn to speak Dutch. I wish I had studied harder to learn the language, but then again, even if I had studied very hard, after 10 years my level of Dutch would still not be the same at that of the Dutch natives. If you are inclined to be lazy, this is no place to be lazy, because you won’t learn Dutch,” he answers.
Mr. Kevin O’Malley was born and raised in Massachusetts, USA. He went to naval college and joined the US-Navy and later the merchant navy, working mostly in the Pacific. He is married to Ambassador Whelan for close to forty years and the couple has two daughters and two granddaughters.
“My career somehow fit easily with that of my wife. Of course the downside was that I was away most of the time. The good part was, that when I was home, I was home for 4 months at a stretch and then I got to catch up,” according to Mr. O’Malley, who, incidentally will be flying back to the USA the next day to attend a reunion of the Boston Marine Society and later on will celebrate Thanksgiving in the US.
In The Netherlands Mr. O’Malley is an active member of the ASA , the Ambassador’s Spouses Association.
“I’m glad it is called the Ambassador’s Spouses Association here in The Netherlands. During our time in Geneva, where my wife was Ambassador, it was called the Ambassador’s Wives Association. I prefer this gender-neutral name in The Netherlands,” Mr. O’Malley explains.
I ask him to share his parting message with the readers.
“ I would like to tell every newly arrived spouse: Get out there and see as much as you can. Every town here, big or small, has treasures. Time flies, so don’t miss a thing. Explore everything, if possible by bicycle. The cycle paths are very safe. And don’t wait! It’s magnificent out here,” he concludes.
Celebrating St. Maarten
Celebrating St. Maarten, our national day, is one beautiful experience, where family, nationhood, culture, and traditions are key!
By Josianne Fleming-Artsen, Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary, Den Haag, The Netherlands.
Allow me to present my 37 square mile island, fantastically dutch and delightfully french, the smallest isalnd in the world with two administrations, a country on the north and a collectivity on the south,where the people have lived together in harmony and peace for over three hundred and sixty years, St. Martin. When we speak of the northern (Dutch) part, we say Sint Maarten and when we refer to the southern (French), Saint Martin. But when we speak of the entire island we call it St. Martin. Together St. Martin celebrates its birthday on november 11. It got its name from Saint Martin of tours, which is also a special day in Europe. Nevertheless, the North and South side of St. Martin celebrate this day as one nation, commemmorating our tradition, culture, foods, and customs.
Though small in size, St. Martin has a big character and receives over two million cruise tourists per year, and is noted as one of the most important cruise stops in the Caribbean. Our other port of entry, the Juliana International Airport is noted for its modern look and one and a halve million tourists per year. Our education sysytem stands next to any sysytem in the world and the government is committed and strongly supports quality education. St. Maarten expresses forward thinking policies on cultural heritage, including tangible and intangible with an outlook on an economy , based on tourism with room for development in diversified services. A country blessed by the leadesrhip of its women –the Prime Minste rand President of Parliament, with whom I have the opportunity to lead.
With its new status as country since 10.10.10. a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, St. Maarten is growing up slowly but quickly, and experiencing the pains of any new countrty. St. Maarten is determined to ensure that its people are the prioirity and that education is the foundation of progress at all levels.
A prisoner’s dilemma
By Peter Knoope. According to a rough estimate coming from UN circles, there are around hundred thousand individuals in prisons around the world for terrorism related offences. Many of these people will be released from their prison cell at one stage in time. Some sooner some later. Many of them will somehow come back to society. In terrorism, like any other serious crime, there is a reasonable chance that these people are welcomed back in their original violent environment. With more credibility because of the time they did. In which case the prison environment may have helped to increase societal security for some years, but not more, and sometimes even less that. Recruitment by these people,inside the prison environment, may have taken place. Other prisoners may have been open to the violent message of terrorists. For obvious reasons the prison population can be more susceptible to recruitment than youngsters outside the prison. It is therefore of the utmost importance to work with prisoners and work on rehabilitation and re-integration programs. This happens on a small scale in a number of European countries. But the bigger numbers of terrorist offenders are in prison in a small number of countries outside the EU. Based on experiences in a few countries with courageous governments, that have taken the lead in this domain, the world has gained enough knowledge and know how to describe the best practices in relation to prison rehabilitation. This is laid down in a document named the “Rome Memorandum on best practices of rehabilitation and re-integration”. This document serves as the starting point to increase knowledge and relevant programs in a number of states that wish to prevent people from going back to violence and extremism. Now these programs need to do everything possible to debunk the terrorist interpretation of reality, in many cases the Al Quaida narrative. Rule number one is that if one wants to talk and lead someone out of the terrorist environment, one needs to have a proper understanding of the reasons why they feel attracted to It.
What brings a young man to feel at home in an extremist and violent
environment? Is it the comradeship? The heroism? Is it anger and
frustration? Is it lack of alternatives and future perspective? Is it a lack
of critical thinking and the attractiveness of “black versus white”
worldviews? The answers to these questions is hidden in specifics. We know from the personal history of a number of terrorists that a negative personal
experience in a young mans life can do the trick, societal exclusion and
collective deprivation is a condition, the welcoming new environment helps and the perspective of “something to live and die for” is certainly a factor
that adds to the attraction. But it is different in Mali, and not the same
there as it is in Pakistan or Indonesia. Let alone in Gouda or Antwerp. So
the country specific analyses of drivers of violence is important as a
baseline for policy development. And what is more, it is important to
prevent that young boy, leaving the prison on a cold windy morning, to run back to the warm welcoming environment of the comrades in the struggle against a perceived enemy.
We will need to understand how sentiments of alienation and humiliation can be exploited to the extent that young man turn violent and see no other way out than kill. Kill and terrorise as a message to the world expressing anger and frustration, hopelessness and nihilism. To stop this it requires a
profound and environment specific analyses of dimensions and dynamics.
An estimated hundred thousand prisoners for terrorism related offences may leave our prisons in the coming years. Unless we understand how and why they got there, we will not be able to address the realistic risk of them
rejoining the former violent circles that are comfortably welcoming them.
If we want to get them out, we firstly need to understand how and why they got in!
Indian attendance at Commonwealth
Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics:
Indian attendance at Commonwealth Heads of Govt. Meeting (CHOGM)
By Paramjit Sahai[*], former Ambassador of India; University of Malta.
Indian foreign policy, which earlier had enjoyed national consensus, is coming increasingly under pressure of domestic politics. It is apparently so, given the fact that the Indian government is run by a coalition of parties; some are a part of the government, while others are giving support from outside. It is not India alone but other countries, with a coalition government that are facing a similar problem. Recently, the British government had to cancel its announced migration policy on bonds for student visas, as the Prime Minister Cameron did not get support from Nick Clegg, leader of its coalition partner – Liberal Party. Even countries with Presidential system, like USA, have to face the brunt of domestic politics.
Indian foreign policy was recently subjected to a grueling test of domestic politics, on the eve of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013, which opened on November 15, 2013 at Colombo, Sri Lanka. The initial pressure was from the two main regional parties, DMK and AIDMK; later all the regional parties embraced this agenda. This led to the passing of a unanimous resolution at the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly imploring Prime Minister (PM) not to attend the CHOGM 2013, as a gesture of support to the Tamil sentiments in support of the minority community in Sri Lanka, which had been subjected to human rights violation.
Arguments for and against Prime Minister’s participation at CHOGM were advanced. There was a running debate in the media, based on developments and information, provided by the interested parties on a daily basis. The two main contentious points were that CHOGM was a multilateral forum and the agenda was more than the Human Rights issue in Sri Lanka. Would non-attendance set a wrong precedent? The second was a tactical issue, whether engagement would be a better option or not, as participation could help in conveying a collective message from the Group and thereby enhancing its value and strength. The media was not a reflection of Indian viewpoint only, howsoever, diverse it may be. Sri Lankan strategic viewpoint and its official opinion were equally provided with prominent space in the print media.
Prime Minister was faced with a Hamletian dilemma, ‘To attend or not to attend’. This dithering on the part of the government resulted in it being subjected to intense pressure. The debate was further muddled when senior Cabinet Ministers from the government started openly voicing their concerns over Prime Minister’s attendance. Information was also leaked that the Cabinet was itself divided over the issue. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Ministry of External Affairs and the National Security Advisor pushed for PM’s attendance, while the others, on account of regional connection were not in favour of participation. It was a cache 22 situation, whether foreign policy interests should be allowed to prevail or regional interests, based on ethno-sub-nationalism be allowed to carry the day. The verbal duel was carried against the backdrop of impending state elections in November-December and General Election in early 2014. The Congress needs the support of regional parties, as it is not likely to get absolute majority.
The Tamil political leadership further tightened the screws on the central government. The State Legislative Assembly passed another resolution, adopting a stringent and tougher posture, escalating the stakes by asking the Government to boycott the CHOGM 2013. It was a tough call to answer. Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs was made to spell out the criteria that would be adopted to take a decision, which would include national interest, international obligations and foreign policy priorities. Various options were explored and one important one included PM attending the Summit, while simultaneously paying a visit to Jaffna, as a gesture of support to the newly elected regional government in the North Region, led by Tamilians. At the end of the day, die was cast against PM’s attendance as ‘domestic politics’ triumphed over the foreign policy interests, as reportedly decided by the Congress leadership under Sonia Gandhi.
The Government, however, did not go full hog with Tamil aspirations and India was represented at CHOGM at the level of External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid. This did not fully satisfy Tamil leadership, which continued to voice its concerns. Sri Lankan Government had to put a brave face, in not openly criticizing India’s non-attendance at PM’s level. In the past also, India had missed attendance at CHOGM at that level. In his formal communication to President Rajapaksa, Prime Minister reportedly did not spell out reasons for his non-attendance. This left each party to make out their own prognosis for public consumption, although the reasons were apparent. Sri Lankans kept their reaction at low key, even though they would not have been happy at these developments.
In India, non-attendance of CHOGM by Prime Minister was viewed in negative light, as forsaking its national strategic interests at the altar of domestic politics. Practically, all the editorials adversely commented upon this development. It was seen as ‘Surrender on CHOGM’ (The Hindu), as attendance including a visit to Jaffna would have been ‘a powerful reaffirmation of New Delhi’s stakes and interests in the region’. Another viewed it as ‘a signal of foreign policy paralysis’ and India ‘risking all its strategic capital in Colombo’ (The Times of India). Still another editorial saw in this as ‘Delhi’s abdication’, caving in ‘to narrow considerations’, as India ‘diminished itself’ and undermined itself in ‘this important multilateral forum’ (The Indian Express). It is, however, debatable as to how important is Commonwealth at the present juncture.
Ironically speaking, what was an option planned by India was executed by the British Prime Minister Cameron, as it is likely that he picked up this idea in India. Otherwise also, ideas freely travel in this age of globalisation. Cameron thus became the first foreign dignitary to set ‘foot in Jaffna after a gap of over five decades. He stated, ‘I want to shine a light on chilling events there first hand’. His message struck a positive chord with the Tamilians, who became beholden to his empathy towards them. He also did not shy away from sending a strong message on human rights issue, prescribing the March 2014 deadline for the setting up of an independent investigation agency. This obviously was rejected out of hand by President Rajapaksa.
While Cameron scored on both the above fronts, it was a case of lost opportunity for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It was, therefore, not surprising to see Salman Khurshid publicly lamenting this missed opportunity. This would have been an excellent occasion to flag Indian presence, where it is involved in infrastructural development projects, including construction of 50,000 low cost houses in the Northern Region. An editorial in the Indian press noted that Cameron ‘has stolen the spotlight from the Commonwealth by visiting Jaffna’ (The Tribune). Another editorial noted that PM’s absence at the Summit had ‘brought no political or diplomatic advantage’ (The Hindu).
History will tell us, whether India made the right or wrong choice. Withdrawal from international scene and not taking the matters upfront has only weakened India’s profile in the international arena. How can India be expected to play a major role, as a world leader, which it wants to emerge, if it shies away in making a mark in its own backyard and the region? It is here that India has to shine first. India’s strategic interests are likely to suffer and others are likely to fish in the troubled waters. It also went against the grain of India’s foreign policy as recently espoused by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Heads of Missions’ Conference on November 4, where he stressed that sub-continent’s shared destiny required greater regional cooperation and connectivity.
How can India connect with the world, if it allows its foreign policy to be shackled by its regional compulsions based on domestic politics? It has to rise above these narrow interests as it reimages a strong India. It has to use both, hard and soft power options, to emerge as a benign power in the region and take its responsibilities as a world leader. Engagement is the only way out, as India has seen that disengagement with Pakistan was not a way out, as a search for a window for engagement continues. India has to calibrate its foreign policy in such a way that it represents its national interests, while it takes on board regional concerns and perceptions. There cannot be two opinions that there has to be one Indian foreign policy, and not Punjab, Tamil Nadu or West Bengal foreign policy.
[*] Former Ambassador and Principal Advisor, Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh.