Meeting Most Of The World - Modi Government's Foreign Policy Overdrive

NEW DELHI: Barring most of the African Union countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have met leaders of most countries of the world by the end of December 2014, pointing to the heightened stress on foreign policy by the new Indian government that took power on May 26.

Modi, who set off a foreign policy buzz with invites to eight South Asian neighbours, including Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, for his swearing-in, has met leaders of many countries, including the big powers the US, China and Russia.

During the BRICS meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil, July 15-17, he met Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Vladimir Putin of Russia, China's Xi Jinping and South Africa's Jacob Zuma. He also met the leaders of 11 countries of Latin America at the sidelines of the meet -Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

He has visited neighbours Bhutan and Nepal and hit it off with Japan's Shinzo Abe during his visit in September. Modi also paid a successful visit to America where besides bonding with President Barack Obama he also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He has already met Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was the first foreign leader to meet the new government when he arrived here in September. Chinese President XI Jinping also paid a successful visit to India last month.

In November, which is set to see heightened foreign policy activity, Modi will meet the Southeast Asian leaders at the ASEAN summit in Myanmar. He will also meet the East Asia Summit (EAS) leaders at capital Nay Pyi Taw, which is held at the same time.

The annual summit meeting with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations takes place Nov 12-13. The 10 countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has just visited India. Modi wiil get to meet Myanmar President Thein Sein and also the new Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
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