Anil Trigunayat to India Today: India's West Asia Diplomacy Is a Great Success Amid Regional Shifts

13 hours ago

'India's West Asia diplomacy has been a great success,' stated former diplomat Anil Trigunayat while discussing the strategic significance of the India-UAE partnership. Trigunayat highlighted that West Asia is existential for India, ensuring that strategic stability and security remain paramount in all national calculations. He noted that the recent high-level visit between India and the UAE, though short, was highly substantive, resulting in a letter of intent for a strategic defence partnership. The discussion touched upon the evolving security equations in the GCC countries and India's growing role as a potential security arbiter. Trigunayat also addressed President Donald Trump's invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join the Board of Peace for Gaza reconstruction, suggesting that while India provides humanitarian assistance, it remains acceptable to all parties in the region. He emphasized that India's relationships with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, and Egypt have become strategic in the truest sense, reflecting the dividends of consistent diplomatic engagement.

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00:00And now to discuss this issue and understand the importance of its timing and significance

00:07of delivery of, you know, this important visit, I am now being joined by Ambassador Anil

00:12Tigranayat, a seasoned diplomat who has served in this region.

00:16Welcome to India Today Global, sir.

00:17My first question to you, my first question to you, sir, that, you know, this visit was

00:24very power packed, a very short visit, rarely this, you know, these kind of visits rarely

00:29happens that, you know, in such a short period of time, such significant deliveries are announced.

00:35But what do you think, you know, what made, you know, this, the timing of this visit so

00:39significant, so important?

00:41Is it a signaling?

00:42Is it a messaging, you know, being given to the to the larger audience and the geopolitics

00:47of this region?

00:48Yes, Pranay, I mean, as you are aware that in West Asia is an extremely important region

00:55for us.

00:57It is also, in my view, an existential for us, so that its strategic stability and security

01:04remains paramount in all our calculations.

01:07That's extremely important.

01:09In recent times, we have seen that not only that region is suffering from several hotspots

01:16and volatility and fights and conflicts between various countries trying to destabilize the

01:22region. But at the same time, they are also threatening India's own security in that sense.

01:28And therefore, our own strategic pursuit of our objectives and strategic partnerships with

01:35countries like UAE and Saudi Arabia and several other countries in the region has gone on from

01:41strength to strength. As far as UAE is concerned, it is a unique partnership.

01:46And you remember that when Prime Minister Modi took over, UAE was the first country.

01:51He has been there seven times himself, and this is the fifth visit of Sheikh Zayed to India,

01:57which is rare in any sense of the term. Wherever you look at it, you will not find this kind

02:03of banhomi, this kind of sort of coordination with both the countries and also in the regional and

02:11sub-regional context. Now, this visit was short, but highly substantive and significant. Now, in order to do

02:18such visits, it is also important that the prior consultations happen. If you remember, Dr. Jashankar

02:25was in Abu Dhabi for a strategic dialogue, which was held. And then before that, we had the Joint

02:31Commission meeting, as well as the High Council meeting, which had already worked out on several

02:37important outcomes. At the same time, currently, as we are seeing, there is a very different kind of

02:43situation happening in the Middle East, especially in the GCC countries. And that we are looking at

02:49new kind of defense and strategic equations are emerging in the region.

02:54I actually wanted to ask you about the defense agreement only, Ambassador Trikundaya, that we have

02:57seen a letter of intent for strategic defense partnership among, you know, other big defense

03:01moves. Does this trip point to some immediate regional security pressure? And why UAE has decided to

03:08enter into this defense, you know, defense partnership with India? How we should read this?

03:13As you know that we do have a defense agreement and our chiefs have been visiting. We have been

03:19conducting military exercises with UAE and with other countries in the region, but mainly with the

03:24United Arab Emirates. And this was the first country where the chief of army staff also visited.

03:30And we have been having regular exchanges with UAE in that sense. But right now, what we are trying to

03:36do is we are expanding the defense partnership into innovation, into joint manufacturing, into

03:41different areas. And of course, this is to do something to do with the regional developments

03:46that have taken place. There are certain polarizations that are taking place. And I would also say that

03:51since we are looking at Pakistan getting deeply immersed into the becoming sort of a net security

03:59provider. So India has been always looked up by various countries in the region. And I can tell

04:04you from personal experience that they want India to play a greater role. And in fact, many of the

04:10people want India to be a security arbiter in the region as well. Although we have not resorted to

04:15that, but that is one thing. On this particular thing, I would say between UAE and India, and during this

04:22visit, it's pretty clear that the key area... You're absolutely right, Ambassador Degrahan. A lot is happening in

04:27West Asia region. But if I may, you know, try and understand from you that, you know, recently President Donald Trump has

04:33extended an invitation to Prime Minister Naren Modi to be part of the Board of Peace on Gaza Reconstruction.

04:38How do you see this development for India? And do you think that, you know, today's summit also

04:44indicates for India's West Asia diplomacy amid these fast-moving U.S.-led initiatives?

04:51Well, the U.S. initiative is very much understandable. President Trump has been committed to

04:57Gaza peace. He has been trying very hard, actually, despite several odds, including from their own

05:04strategic partner in Israel, which is opposing it. Actually, even the Board of Peace, they are not on the

05:10same, I would say, same cardboard to begin with on their chessboards. So they don't like Pakistan being

05:17there. They don't like the Turkey being there or their forces being there. That's the Israeli

05:24question. But as far as India is concerned, nobody has any objection to anyone. But India has been

05:31invited. But I doubt very much that we'll be accepting it. But India should be providing assistance,

05:37which we have been doing, humanitarian assistance for Gazans who have suffered a great deal. But India

05:43is acceptable everywhere. And that is the beauty of India's diplomacy, I would say. And India's

05:49West Asia diplomacy has been a great success. And the result of that is clearly evident in any of

05:56the areas you see, whether from Saudi Arabia down to the UAE, to Israel or to Egypt, any country you

06:04look at, India's relationship has become strategic in the real sense of the term and the region.

06:11And so I think the diplomacy of India has actually, you know, gave these dividends. And in fact,

06:19thanks to all of our diplomats like you who have served for the country and provided the building

06:24block for this partnership. Thank you very much for sharing your perspective and thoughts on this

06:28important visit.

Anil Trigunayat to India Today: India's West Asia Diplomacy Is a Great Success Amid Regional Shifts

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