THOUGH the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) may be facing an acute distortion because of the conflict of interests of the Member-Nations on account of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, there should be no doubt that the grouping would reinvent itself in times to come. The current strain between the United States of America and NATO’s European Member-Nations would get sorted out in some time and a new NATO may emerge to redefine the world order. Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s current tour of the four NATO countries appears clearly aimed at firming up of India’s footprint in the European continent in changing situations. No matter the Opposition cacophony about the Prime Minister’s “wasting” precious money on a foreign tour of no consequence, it is obvious that through this strategic connect, Mr. Narendra Modi has established a firmer foothold in the European domain which may host major geopolitical developments of the next quarter of a century.

 

This gain of the Prime Minister’s hectic campaign cannot be captured in just a few interpretative words. We will have to wait for a few years to see the flowering of this effort for the benefit of India. Europe has always been an interesting theatre of world affairs. Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar had famously said, in effect, that Europe thought that its problems are world’s problems. The sarcasm in that remark notwithstanding, it is true that European mindset did dominate world affairs for a long time, and still has an important spot to occupy in the way the world thinks even today. India has always estimated the European component correctly and handled the issues of that part of the world with sensitivity. Mr. Narendra Modi’s trip to the four NATO Member-Nations signifies that approach. In the Netherlands, Mr. Modi led the process of signing as many as 17 pacts covering a vast range of areas. In Sweden, he was given the highest civilian honour of Royal Order of Polar Star. This does not happen just because of a Prime Minister has travelled to those countries.

 

This happens on the foundation of mutual and larger interest as perceived by the leaders of the respective countries -- against the global backdrop. Mr. Modi is yet to visit Italy -- where, too, he will have similar discussions and lead the process of international collaboration through standard mechanisms. By any standard, this five-nation tour of the Prime Minister needs to be described as whirlwind engagement. Without fussing about his age, without fretting about his very hectic domestic schedule, without fuming about what the Opposition said about this foreign trip, Mr. Narendra Modi is busy expanding India’s European footprint -- without bending backward, without ducking India’s responsibility in global affairs, without trying to look ambivalent. By now, the world knows that Mr. Narendra Modi represents -- or leads -- India’s sure-footed diplomacy in an increasingly complex world (where Europe will keep playing an important role). The world knows what India can achieve in global affairs. Russia sees India as a truly credible mediator in the US-Israel-Iran conflict on a long-term basis.

 

These are signs of the global recognition of India’s maturity in international affairs. In United Arab Emirates, Mr. Modi blasted unprovoked missile attack on UAE by Israel. India also did not miss the moment and blasted similar attacks on Iran (a little while earlier). This is not ambivalence. This is India’s heightened sense of freedom from shackles of any grouping or one-sidedness of relationships. Mr. Modi has been the lead-author of this diplomatic policy -- which is not non-alignment, which is also not mere spectatorship. In the best of terms, this is India’s sense of commitment to global harmony as a responsible Nation-State. Let alone the snide remarks of the Opposition about Mr. Modi’s foreign trip, the Prime Minister is personally the Indian charge in the diplomatic arena with a rare sense of focus.