The ongoing war in West Asia, its economic, political and diplomatic impact on the Gulf states, and the changing equations with the US and China, will be the focus of the three-day Heads of Mission Conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi joining the deliberations on April 30. The conference, which will be attended by all senior Indian envoys to other countries, is scheduled to be held in New Delhi from April 28-30.
The first day of the Home Conference will be chaired by Foreign Minister Vikram Misri, who will open the proceedings by giving a wide-ranging overview of India and the world with a focus on the crisis in West Asia and the severe economic fallout for both the US and Iran of closing the vital Strait of Hormuz. Follow Iran War updates on April 24 here
As both the United States and Iran attempt to exert dominance over the strait, other countries are suffering, including the Gulf, where oil and commodity trade has been severely affected as no cargo ship or oil tanker can enter or exit the strait. Before the February 28 war, up to 135 ships were passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Today, Iran is using the strait as leverage against the United States and Gulf states with other countries suffering collateral damage even as the IRGC wants to impose a $2 million duty on each ship. The beleaguered US Navy receives instructions from President Trump to destroy any Iranian gunboat or drone targeting maritime traffic in the strait.
The second day of the conference will be chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who will address the gathering and sensitize them about the new global balance amid the West Asia war, the Ukraine war, and China’s increasing dominance in East Asia. The EAM meeting will be followed by a presentation by Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan on the same day to brief diplomats and envoys on the military capabilities of India’s neighbors and the reforms being implemented in military engineering.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak to Indian envoys about his vision, and will also show Egyptian Foreign Minister and Foreign Minister Sudhakar evidence through presentations on how MEA is implementing India’s diplomatic priorities on the ground. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will also address the audience on national security planning and priorities for the country at a time when western neighbor Pakistan is trying to play the role of peacemaker in the West Asian crisis in addition to strengthening its defense ties with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The HOM conference comes at a time when the Modi government has decided to look beyond career diplomats to appoint them as envoys to important countries, especially in the neighbourhood. While senior BJP leader Dinesh Trivedi’s name has been sent to Dhaka for appointment as High Commissioner, there are strong indications that India will send tough envoys to key countries in order to project the Indian point of view and any envoy suffering from ‘domestic inflammation’ will be overlooked for top posts in the future.
