In a significant diplomatic development, India and Malaysia have decided to elevate their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership following high-level talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The decision was formalized during a three-day visit by Prime Minister Ibrahim to India, marking his first official visit to the country since taking office.

Ceremonial Welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi warmly welcomed his Malaysian counterpart at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, where a ceremonial reception was held in his honor. The two leaders then engaged in extensive discussions aimed at deepening cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas, particularly in trade, investment, and emerging technologies.

Key Agreements and Areas of Cooperation:

A series of bilateral agreements were signed, including a crucial pact on the employment and repatriation of workers and another focusing on boosting cooperation in digital technologies. The agreements are seen as vital steps in fostering closer economic ties between the two nations.

One of the most notable outcomes of the talks was the decision to work towards linking India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with Malaysia’s PayNet system, which is expected to facilitate smoother financial transactions and further integrate the two economies.

Focus on Trade, Investment, and Defense:

Expanding trade and investment was a major focus of the Modi-Ibrahim talks. Prime Minister Modi highlighted the untapped potential in the economic relationship between India and Malaysia, particularly in new and emerging sectors. The leaders also discussed the timely review of the free trade agreement between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Malaysia is a key member.

In addition to economic cooperation, the two sides explored new possibilities in the defense sector, reflecting a mutual interest in enhancing security collaboration. The leaders also reaffirmed their shared commitment to combating terrorism and extremism, emphasizing the importance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Commitment to Regional Stability:

Prime Minister Modi underscored India’s commitment to the principles of freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, a statement that appeared to address the ongoing disputes in the South China Sea. Both leaders expressed their preference for resolving disputes peacefully, further reinforcing their commitment to regional stability.

Strengthening ASEAN-India Ties:

Modi also described Malaysia as a critical partner for India within the ASEAN and Indo-Pacific frameworks. The discussions between the two leaders reinforced the strategic importance of the ASEAN-India relationship and the need for timely updates to the existing free trade agreement to better reflect the current economic realities.

Conclusion:

The elevation of India-Malaysia ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership marks a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries. With agreements on key issues such as digital cooperation and worker repatriation, along with a shared vision for regional stability, the visit of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has set the stage for deeper and more comprehensive collaboration in the years to come.

Manak Sharma, Mumbai Uncensored, 28th November, 2023:

THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION

The two-state solution is believed to be the only possible way to end the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The solution proposes two separate states, Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine (including both Gaza and West Bank) for the Palestinian people. The solution is designed on the basis that both the states have the legal right to decide their own destiny in the international order. Both Israel and Palestine will share Jerusalem as their capital city. The border between the two states will be based upon the 1967 border before the third Arab-Israel war. In a fair and equitable manner, Palestinian refugees settled in different parts of the world will be allowed to return.

Since 1947, the United Nations has stated the two-state solution as its official policy but it has failed to be implemented and the Israel-Palestine conflict continues. Many countries around the world have endorsed the two-state solution including Qatar which is mediating between Hamas and Israel.

PROBLEMS IN IMPLEMENTATION

There are mainly three reasons why the two-state solution has failed to be implemented. First, both countries do not agree on the border of Palestine in future. Second, with the Israeli government building settlements continuously in occupied Palestinian territories, it becomes difficult to create a Palestinian state which will share the border with Israel. Third, the two-state solution does not clarify how the millions of Palestinian refugees living all around the world will be able to return to their country. Palestinian authorities will not agree to any solution which fails to address the issue of Palestinian refugees returning home.

CONCLUSION

The two-state solution might be complex and difficult to achieve but it is the only viable option to establish peace in the region and end the conflict which is causing hundreds of casualties daily since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th this year.  The international community rather than instigating the war further, needs to mediate between the two countries encouraging them to make necessary compromises and agree on the two-state solution.  The two countries reaching a solution seems difficult but the four-day truce which will make both the IDF and Hamas return civilians taken as captives shows a ray of hope that the Israeli government and Hamas will agree to some deal and stop the war in near future.

The Biden administration is pressuring New Delhi to cut through its own red tape and finalise a deal for dozens of American-made armed drones ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington, according to two people familiar with the situation.

India has long indicated a desire to purchase huge, American-made armed drones. But for years, a deal for SeaGuardian drones that might be worth $2 billion to $3 billion has been stalled by bureaucratic roadblocks.

The visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House on June 22 is expected to help U.S. negotiators break the impasse.

The U.S. State Department, Pentagon, and White House have requested India to “show” progress on the agreement for up to 30 armable MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones built by General Atomics since the visit date was set, according to two sources.

While Modi is in Washington, the co-production of munitions and ground vehicles like armoured personnel carriers is also anticipated to be a topic of conversation between Modi and Biden, according to the sources.

Pentagon, Department of State, and White House spokesman all declined to comment on the talks.

While the world’s two largest democracies do not currently have a formal security alliance, U.S. President Joe Biden has made strengthening ties with India a key component of his strategy to counter China’s expanding influence. This year, in particular, Biden has focused on collaboration between the two countries on advanced military technologies.

New Delhi has irritated Washington by preserving some defence and economic connections with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi frequently values its non-alignment in wars between great powers abroad.

An internal conference to produce a “Acceptance of Necessity” document—the Indian equivalent of a formal “Letter of Request” that starts the foreign military sale process—could be the key to unlocking India’s bureaucratic bottleneck on drones. The sources were uncertain as of Tuesday as to whether New Delhi had produced the required internal document.

The Indian government will have to decide that, according to a senior Biden administration official. “We believe that they should proceed with the procurement of MQ-9s. However, India sort of has more control over those choices than we do.

As Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday to complete preparations for Modi’s visit, the subject was anticipated to be on the agenda.

According to a person familiar with the conversations, as of last week, the Indian defence ministry still wasn’t sure how many drones it wanted to purchase. The first estimate was for 30, but it was then changed to 24, and then further reduced to 18 last month. According to sources, none of the figures were definitive.

Any contract could be complicated by India’s need for equipment components to be produced domestically.

The MQ-9B SeaGuardian is currently or has previously been used by the Quad group of nations, which consists of the United States, India, Australia, and Japan. India is currently renting MQ-9Bs to use in intelligence gathering.