1 JULY 2015: PM to focus on Central Asia now

Ø  Countering the spread of Islamic State (IS) terror will be a key part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s eight-day visit to five Central Asian states — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan — next week (July 6-13), as those states gear up to battle the Islamic State’s rising influence. Mr Modi will also travel to the Russian city of Ufa to attend the BRICS and SCO summits affording him two opportunities to meet the Central Asian leaders and discuss counter-terrorism cooperation. The Prime Minister will discuss counter-terror technology, training forces and also countering radicalism. Significantly, the government had also appointed former IB chief Asif Ibrahim as a special envoy recently, with a mandate to discuss the spread of IS and terrorism, and liaise with governments abroad on the issue.

Ø  Turkmenistan ambassador Parakhat H. Durdyev on Monday ruled out delays to the 1,078- mile Turkmenistan- AfghanistanPakistan- India ( TAPI) pipeline from security concerns and said all the bene.ciary countries are on the same page pushing for early implementation of the project. Continued violence in Afghanistan has been considered a reason for the delay in the execution of works related to the pipeline with a capacity to carry 90 million metric standard cubic metres of gas, of which India and Pakistan will get 38 mmscmd of gas, while the remaining 14 mmscmd will be supplied to Afghanistan. India and Ashgabat are also expected to ink deals on the setting up of a fertilizer factory in Turkmenistan, on urea and potash supply and transport and energy sectors. The PM’s visit to Kazakhstan is expected to give a .llip to the civil nuclear deal signed in 2009, to the proposed joint mining of uranium in Kazakhstan and to the Caspian Sea oil block drilling agreement, that India has 25 per cent stake in. India and Kazakhstan could also be .nalising agreements on mining, mineral and oil and gas projects, which include iron ore, coal and potash exploration. Mr. Modi is also learnt to have brushed aside protocol for his visit to Kazakhstan. India’s last visit to the country was in 2011, and as per protocol it was Kazakhstan’s turn to visit New Delhi. In 1992, India was the .rst country outside Commonwealth of Independent States region visited by President Nazarbayev after Kazakhstan became independent. Tajikistan, where India has an air base, is looking to .rm up ties with New Delhi on security, trade and investment during the PM’s visit.

Ø  There is no con.rmation of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, though both will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ( SCO) summit, officials in Delhi and Islamabad said on Tuesday. Speculation has been rising of a possible meeting after Mr Modi called Mr Sharif to wish him at the beginning of Ramzaan earlier this month. Both Prime Ministers will be in the Russian city of Ufa from July 8- 10 to attend the SCO summit that includes Russia, China and the central Asian states as members, while India, Pakistan and Iran have observer status. Mr Modi will also attend the BRICS summit at the same time. The SCO process for elevating the observer states to members is likely to get under way during this summit, which would explain the Prime Minister’s high- level participation in Ufa.