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Modi’s Gulf, East Africa Visit<\/strong><\/p>\n \n By Dr. D.K. Giri<\/strong><\/p>\n (Prof of Practice, NIIS Group of Institutions)<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s two-day state visit to Jordan on 15-16 December, marked a watershed moment in India-Jordan relations, coming 75 years after diplomatic ties were established after a 37-year gap since the last full-fledged visit by an Indian premier. The visit, the first leg of a three-nation tour which also took Modi to Ethiopia and Oman between 16-18 December, was framed by both sides as an opportunity to move the partnership from \u201csymbolic\u201d to \u201csubstantive\u201d. In a series of social media posts and a joint press briefing in Jordan, Modi highlighted a \u2018meaningful expansion\u2019 of cooperation across a wide spectrum of sectors.<\/p>\n PM Modi\u2019s four-day, three nation swing though Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman is meant to give India a diplomatic push in two key regions \u2013 the Horne of Africa and the Gulf \u2013 at a time when New Delhi is rolling out its \u2018Link West\u2019 and \u2018Africa Initiative\u2019 strategies. At the time of writing (17 Dec), Modi will leave from Ethiopia to Oman. This article, thus, covers the events in Jordan visit while hinting at the purpose of Prime Minister\u2019s visits to Ethiopia and Oman.<\/p>\n In Jordan, the most tangible results were the Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) signed on 15 December. The Agreements covered renewable energy, water resource management, digital public infrastructure and a twining of UNESCO sites of Petra, Jordan and Ellora in India. The cultural MoU includes the renewal of the India-Jordan Cultural Exchange Programme for 2025-2029 an initiative that the Prime Minister said would \u2018further deepen people-to-people ties\u2019. In renewable energy, both countries pledged technical cooperation aimed at clean growth, energy security and climate responsibility. This echoes Modi\u2019s earlier statement that the partnership \u201creflects a shared commitment to clean growth\u201d.<\/p>\n Water security, a critical issue for both arid countries, was addressed with collaboration on water-resources management and development, with an emphasis on sharing best practices in conservation and technological innovation. Digital transformation received a boost through a Letter of Intent on sharing successful digital solutions and a call for collaboration between Jordan\u2019s National Payment System and India\u2019s Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The latter was part of a broader push to support Jordan\u2019s digital public infrastructure and inclusive governance.<\/p>\n Strategically, the visit reinforced a shared stance against terrorism. King Abdullah II conveyed strong support for India\u2019s fight against terrorism as both leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms. This part of the outcome has reportedly sent shivers through the spine of terror organisations and their patrons in Pakistani military. Modi also praised Jordan\u2019s \u2018active and positive role\u2019 on the Gaza issue, underscoring the geo-political dimension of the bilateral dialogues. While King Abdullah II acknowledged India\u2019s \u2018rising influence\u2019 expressing confidence that their partnership would serve as a model for South-South Cooperation.<\/p>\n On economic and trade prospects, India is Jordan\u2019s third-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at about 2.8b USD. Jordan supplies a significant share of India\u2019s fertilizer imports \u2013 particularly Phosphates and Potash \u2013 making it a key component of India\u2019s food security strategy. During the talks, Modi proposed raising bilateral trade to US 5b USD over the next five years, a target that reflects the ambition to deepen economic inter-dependence. The Prime Minister\u2019s 8-Point vision, presented to the King, outlined cooperation in trade, critical minerals, civil-nuclear energy, and capacity-building programmes, including the training of 10 master trainers over three years. Jordan expressed its intent to join Indian-led global initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Global Bio Fuel Alliance, and the Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure, signalling a convergence of interests on climate and sustainable development.<\/p>\n The latest trade figures show that India imported 1.2m tonnes of Phosphates and 0.8 m tonnes of Potash from Jordan in the last fiscal year, accounting for roughly 12 per cent of India\u2019s total fertilizer imports. Both governments have agreed to launch a Joint Business Council to explore new sectors such as renewable-energy components, agri-tech and pharmaceuticals, aiming to double trade volume by 2030.<\/p>\n On strategic and security dimensions beyond economics, the visit cemented a security partnership that builds on the 2018-defence cooperation MoU. Discussions covered military training, defence-industrial collaboration, counter terrorism, intelligence sharing and potential military exports. Modi\u2019s reference to Jordan\u2019s \u201cfirm stand against terrorism and extremism\u201d highlighted a shared security outlook; while the King\u2019s support for India\u2019s counter terrorism efforts reinforced mutual trust.<\/p>\n The geo-political context is equally significant. Jordan\u2019s participation in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) positions the Kingdom of Jordan as a linchpin in a multi-model connectivity project that could cut shipping cost by up to 30 per cent and reduce transit times by around 40 per cent. Modi\u2019s visit, therefore, was not simply a bilateral affair but also a step toward integrating Jordan into a broader regional architecture that links South Asia to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n In the defence sector, India has offered to supply Jordan with advanced light-weight howitzers and to conduct joint training exercises at the Indian Army\u2019s training centre in Rajasthan. A Letter of Intent was also signed to explore co-production of spare parts, which could reduce Jordan\u2019s maintenance costs by an estimated 15 per cent over the next decade.<\/p>\n In cultural exchange and people-to-people ties, the Indian Diaspora in Jordan numbers around 17,500 employed mainly in textiles, construction, manufacturing and UN agencies. The twining of Petra and Ellora is presented as a \u2018Gateway for heritage conservation\u2019, tourism and academic exchanges. To nurture ties among the youth, India will offer 50 scholarships under the ICCR programme for Jordanian students to pursue undergraduate studies in engineering and technology with the first batch set to arrive in August 2026.<\/p>\n The outcomes of the December visit open up several avenues for future collaboration such as renewable-energy, joint ventures, with Jordan seeking to expand its solar capacity, Indian expertise through the ISA and private sector partnership could create large scale project, leveraging India\u2019s cost-effective solar technology. Similarly, digital infrastructure and FinTech linking UPI \u2013 Jordan Payment-System could serve as a template for broader FinTech cooperation including cross-border remittances, E-commerce platforms and date-security standards.<\/p>\n There is also scope in water-management, technology transfer where Indian companies have notable experience \u2013 water recycling, drip irrigation and desalination. Opportunities can easily be explored in joint-investment in exploration of critical minerals and fertilizer that could secure supply chain for India\u2019s agriculture sector while providing Jordan with value-added industry.\u00a0 Scope exists in defence and security collaboration, education and capacity building, tourism and heritage conservation which will boost both economies while supporting Jordan\u2019s ambition to become a technology hub. Such present initiatives and future scope collectively aim to transform the India-Jordan relationship into a dynamic, multi-sector partnership that can serve as a catalyst for broader regional integration and sustainable development.<\/p>\n Modi\u2019s visit to Ethiopia is timed to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations. Ethiopia hosts the Africa Union headquarter, making it a strategic foothold for India\u2019s broader Africa outreach. For Ethiopia, India is one of its top trading partners and a major source of concessional loans. Modi\u2019s second visit to the Sultanate of Oman also coincides with 70th anniversary of India-Oman diplomatic ties and following Sultan Haithm bin Tariqu\u2019s state visit to India Dec 2023.\u00a0 Oman\u2019s location at the mouth of Strait of Hormuz makes it vital for India\u2019s security and maritime interest.<\/p>\n In short, the Ethiopia leg is about cementing a strategic foothold in East Africa and expanding economic ties, while the Oman leg leverages a long-standing Gulf partnership, energy security and a pending Free Trade Pact, Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that could boost bilateral trade beyond the current 10b USD. Also, such a pact with Oman should deepen India\u2019s influence in the Western Indian Ocean. \u2014 INFA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Modi’s Gulf, East Africa Visit By Dr. D.K. Giri (Prof of Practice, NIIS Group of Institutions) Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s two-day state visit to Jordan on 15-16 December, marked a watershed moment in India-Jordan relations, coming 75 years after diplomatic ties were established after a 37-year gap since the last full-fledged visit by an Indian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-275441","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-features"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275441\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}