Why in news?
- President Ram Nath Govind is to make his maiden visit as President to Djibouti.
- He will also be the first Indian President or Prime Minister to visit Djibouti, a part of the Horn of Africa.
What is the significance?
- The four different states constituting the Horn are Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti.
- These four states, along with Yemen across the Red Sea, have long been described as one of the world’s pivotal regions.
- Djibouti’s population is less than a million and its land is largely barren.
- However, making it geo-politically significant is its location -
- at the crossroads connecting Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
- at the confluence of the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.
- The visit signifies India's willingness to end its prolonged neglect of Djibouti and re-engage with the region strategically.
How has the relation progressed?
- The East India Company occupied Aden in 1839 and administered it until 1937.
- Subsequently, the creation of the British Somaliland in 1889 gave it hold over the straits that controlled access to the Indian Ocean.
- Britain saw the presence as essential to India’s security and economic prosperity because of the following factors:
- protection of sea lines of communication.
- control over the choke points.
- maintaining access to major islands of the Indian Ocean.
- However, Independent India discarded this geopolitical thinking.
- This is because of India's inward economic orientation and the policies of non-alignment and military isolationism.
- India does not even have an embassy in Djibouti.
- Nevertheless, India's economic globalisation in the 1990s and its growing commerce demanded a change.
- Also, the new reliance on the sea lines of communication for economic growth rejuvenated India's maritime sensibility.
- India declared that its national interests were no longer limited to the subcontinent but stretched from the “Aden to Malacca”.
- Also, the President of Djibouti is now keen on utilising its strategic location for economic fortune and is seeking investments.
What are the future prospects?
- China is raising its strategic profile in the region through -
- infrastructure development in the Horn of Africa.
- the One Belt and One Road (OBOR) initiative.
- the recent first ever foreign military base for China, in Djibouti.
- the rail link project between landlocked Ethiopia and Djibouti, etc.
- In addition, countries like France, Japan, Italy, US and regional powers like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, etc are increasing their military presence in Djibouti.
- At the 2015 Africa summit in Delhi, most participating leaders wanted an expansion of security and defence cooperation with India.
- Defence diplomacy has thus become an important imperative for India all across the Indian Ocean region.
- India is relatively late to join, but the President’s visit is hopeful of laying the foundations for engagement with Djibouti and the Horn of Africa.
Source: Indian Express
