Sushma Swaraj asks Indian envoys to engage neighbours

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has asked Indian envoys based in 7 South Asian countries, China, Central Asian Republics, Iran and Myanmar to follow up on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to expand engagement with Delhi’s neighbours through a concrete action plan. Swaraj’s meet which lasted several hours on Monday was a follow up of Modi’s meeting with leaders of South Asia last month, Indian media reports said today (Tuesday). Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to visit Bangladesh for three days from June 26. She will arrive in Dhaka on Wednesday and will meet President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina apart from holding bilateral talks with Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali. ‘It was felt by Swaraj and foreign secretary Sujatha Singh that there was the need to maintain momentum of the priority given by the PM to neighbours by calling them for the swearing in,’ a senior Indian official was quoted as saying. The day-long meeting was the first of its kind and Swaraj chaired all the sessions to take stock of the current state of play in India’s relations with each of the neighbours. It discussed engaging neighbours and helping them to become prosperous, which would contribute to India’s development, according to UNB.