India's Neighbourhood First Policy¶
India's Neighbourhood First Policy, launched in 2014, is a cornerstone of its foreign policy, emphasizing enhanced relations with neighboring countries, particularly in South Asia. This policy is centered on mutual benefits, aiming to forge stronger economic, political, and cultural connections. Since its independence, India’s foreign policy has been continually developing, and connectivity with its neighbours has always been a top objective for the country. It involves various aspects:
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Connectivity: Projects like the Indo-Bangladesh Waterways and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project with Myanmar are notable. The Rail Services Agreement (RSA) 2004 with Nepal and MoUs with SAARC members also highlight this focus.
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Economic Cooperation: Key agreements include the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) and the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement. The SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) is another significant initiative.
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Disaster Management: Due to the region's vulnerability to natural calamities, India is spearheading efforts in South Asia to enhance collaboration for disaster management, addressing challenges intensified by climate change.
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Military and Defense Cooperation: India engages in various joint exercises with regional countries, like Mitra Shakti and SLINEX with Sri Lanka, Surya Kiran with Nepal, and others, including PANEX-21 (BIMSTEC), Hand in Hand (China), and SAMPRITI (Bangladesh). These exercises focus on different aspects like joint military training and humanitarian assistance.
The overarching goal of India's Neighbourhood First Policy is to promote regional stability, prosperity, and security, which aligns with India's vision of becoming a leading power regionally and globally. Strengthening ties with neighbors is seen as crucial for India's own economic and security interests, as well as for fostering international peace and cooperation.
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