India–Africa Summit: Terrorism, UNSC reform on Modi’s agenda
With over 40 African heads of state and government confirming attendance, the event is being seen as India’s most successful outreach ever to the resource-rich continent which has all major powers vying for influence. Given the time and attention he has spared for the summit, Modi is looking to use his personalised style of diplomacy to not just make the event memorable but to also prove that foreign policy remains his strong point despite recent reverses in the neighbourhood, most notably in Nepal.
The summit starts on Monday with a senior officials’ meeting, foreign ministers meet the next day.
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The main summit will take place on Thursday. Leaders will start touching down on Wednesday and have bilateral meetings with Modi the same day before going into the main summit on October 29. The main summit will comprise a plenary session and declarations.
The summit is taking place a month ahead of Africa’s second such summit with China. Modi can be expected to come into his own in the company of top African leaders like Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi whom he persuaded to attend when he met him last month in New York.
Modi said Friday that India and Africa must speak in one voice on UNSC reforms. Egypt is a key member of the Uniting for Consensus group which blocks UNSC expansion.
As a rising Africa faces new challenges like terrorism and extremism, Modi believes it’s important to cooperate on such issues. Boko Haram remains powerful northern Nigeria and pledges allegiance to Islamic State (IS). IS is making inroads into North Africa and has presence in Libya and Egypt’s Sinai peninsula. Apart from Al Shabab in Somalia, al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb also operates in North Africa.
Modi, who believes his own relationship with top leaders is as important as South Block’s diplomatic skills, will host a dinner for the African leaders on Wednesday.
Many of them will join Modi wearing the waistcoat gifted to them that is now known as the Modi jacket.
The PM will gift the leaders Gandhi memorabilia picked up from iconic places in Gandhi’s life.
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Source:Timesofindia
Prime Minister Of India
