The visit of Army Chief, General MM Naravane, to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) should be welcomed by all who are keen for India’s relations with the Arab world to improve. The Narendra Modi Government might have made ‘Look East’ a cornerstone of its foreign policy but the most dramatic improvement of ties in the past six-and-a-half years has been with the Arab world. And as many Arab nations normalise their relationship with Israel, their one-time mortal enemy, India, a long-standing friend of Israel, can only be most pleased. Combined with the fact that Pakistan, which often found a steady hand of support in the Arab world, has seen its ties with the two leading nations, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, deteriorate in the recent past, India can only look from the sidelines and be pleased at the state of affairs. Saudi Arabia is upset with Pakistan switching allegiance to Turkey as a leader of the neo-Islamic world despite feeding off Gulf largesse. The Saudis went so far as to recall a major loan from Pakistan and UAE stopped issuing visas to Pakistani citizens, However, with the Saudis and the Emirates involved in complicated politics in the area, particularly with Iran, overtly through a war in Yemen, and also internecine issues in Qatar, India will also need to thread a tightrope.

India has to maintain amicable relations with all sides because of both commercial and military reasons. Naravane as a representative of the Government must be careful. That said, India’s improved relations with West Asia are here to stay for the medium-term with major nations having political stability. OIC member states have been drawn by India’s compliance of rulebook diplomacy, respect its non-provocative gestures and scent its economic growth and wide markets. There’s a new-found respect diplomatically after we held off China. Besides, India continues to provide skilled manpower to Arab nations. Of course, there is the challenge of how the incoming US administration will treat the area but one expects more of the same.

The visit of Army Chief, General MM Naravane, to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) should be welcomed by all who are keen for India’s relations with the Arab world to improve. The Narendra Modi Government might have made ‘Look East’ a cornerstone of its foreign policy but the most dramatic improvement of ties in the past six-and-a-half years has been with the Arab world. And as many Arab nations normalise their relationship with Israel, their one-time mortal enemy, India, a long-standing friend of Israel, can only be most pleased. Combined with the fact that Pakistan, which often found a steady hand of support in the Arab world, has seen its ties with the two leading nations, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, deteriorate in the recent past, India can only look from the sidelines and be pleased at the state of affairs. Saudi Arabia is upset with Pakistan switching allegiance to Turkey as a leader of the neo-Islamic world despite feeding off Gulf largesse. The Saudis went so far as to recall a major loan from Pakistan and UAE stopped issuing visas to Pakistani citizens, However, with the Saudis and the Emirates involved in complicated politics in the area, particularly with Iran, overtly through a war in Yemen, and also internecine issues in Qatar, India will also need to thread a tightrope.

India has to maintain amicable relations with all sides because of both commercial and military reasons. Naravane as a representative of the Government must be careful. That said, India’s improved relations with West Asia are here to stay for the medium-term with major nations having political stability. OIC member states have been drawn by India’s compliance of rulebook diplomacy, respect its non-provocative gestures and scent its economic growth and wide markets. There’s a new-found respect diplomatically after we held off China. Besides, India continues to provide skilled manpower to Arab nations. Of course, there is the challenge of how the incoming US administration will treat the area but one expects more of the same.