SAGAR Flashcards
Why in News?
In March 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited three small but significant Indian Ocean island states — Seychelles, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka. During this tour, he unveiled India’s strategic vision for the Indian Ocean: Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). SAGAR seeks to differentiate India’s leadership from the modus operandi of other regionally active major powers and to reassure littoral states as India’s maritime influence grows. As External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar signalled at the fourth Indian Ocean Conference in September last year, India’s SAGAR vision is intended to be “consultative, democratic and equitable”. India’s recent admission as observer to the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) will put this vision to the test.
IOC, a trusted regional actor
Following a request from New Delhi, the IOC granted observer status to India on March 6 at the Commission’s 34th Council of Ministers. Founded in 1982, the IOC is an intergovernmental organisation comprising five small-island states in the Western Indian Ocean: the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion (a French department), and Seychelles. Though Réunion brings a major power, France, into this small-state equation, decisions in the IOC are consensus-based, and while France’s foreign policy interests are represented, the specifics of Réunion’s regional decision-making emerge from its local governance structures. Over the years, the IOC has emerged as an active and trusted regional actor, working in and for the Western Indian Ocean and implementing a range of projects.
INFORMATION
In 2012, the IOC was one of the four regional organisations to launch the MASE Programme — the European Union-funded programme to promote Maritime Security in Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean. Under MASE, the IOC has established a mechanism for surveillance and control of the Western Indian Ocean with two regional centres. The Regional Maritime Information Fusion Center (RMIFC), based in Madagascar, is designed to deepen maritime domain awareness by monitoring maritime activities and promoting information sharing and exchange. The Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC), based in Seychelles, will eventually facilitate joint or jointly coordinated interventions at sea based on information gathered through the RMIFC. These centres are a response to the limitations that the states in the region face in policing and patrolling their often enormous Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). They deliver an urgently needed deterrent against unabating maritime crime at sea, only partly addressed by the high-level counter-piracy presence of naval forces from the EU, the Combined Maritime Forces, and Independent Forces. Seven states in the region have signed agreements to participate in this multilateral maritime security architecture, and once ratified, will provide its legal foundation. Many major powers have expressed interest in accessing the RMIFC.
Chair of CGPCS
The IOC has also wielded a disproportionate degree of convening power. In 2018 and 2019, it served as Chair of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS). Leveraging the CGPCS Chair, the IOC held ministerial meetings in 2018 and 2019 on maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean, drawing state representations from the region plus major powers such as India, the EU, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Russia. These meetings, resulting in formal declarations, facilitated convergence around common, sub-region-specific definitions of maritime security threats and the legal way of dealing with them.
How can India contribute?
The IOC’s maritime security activities have a strong foundation, but they require support and buy-in from additional regional actors. India has already signalled a strong interest in the work of the IOC through its request to be admitted as an observer. The view from Ebène, where the IOC is headquartered, and from where its maritime security strategy is directed, is that major powers are warmly invited to support its initiatives. Nearly all littoral states in the Western Indian Ocean need assistance in developing their maritime domain awareness and in building capacity to patrol their EEZs. All would benefit from national information fusion centres that can link to those of the wider region. With its observer status, India will be called upon to extend its expertise to the region, put its satellite imagery to the service of the RMIFC, and establish links with its own Information Fusion Centre.
Progress Of Project MAUSAM
‘Mausam’ is the initiative of Ministry of Culture to be implemented by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the nodal agency with research support of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Museum. This project aims to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean ‘world’ – collating archaeological and historical research in order to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean. The main objective of the project is to inscribe places and sites identified under Project Mausam as trans-national nomination for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Mausam has now been extended up to 31st March, 2023.
3 areas of MAUSAM
(i)Indian Missions in the 39 countries have approached local authorities and several countries including the following, have nominated their resource persons for the Project Mausam: -
Bangladesh, Cambodia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Malaysia, The Islamic republic of Iran, UAE, Myanmar, Philippines and Jordan.
(ii) It is proposed to hold an international conference with these experts on the next steps forward.
(iii) It is proposed to prepare two transnational nominations namely; (a) Routes followed by the Cholas in the Southeast Asia region and; (b) Spread of Buddhism through land and sea routes in the South and Southeast Asian region (those countries that are a part of Project Mausam).
This information was given by the Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply.
Which are the founding member states of INSTC and when was the agreement signed?
Russia, India, and Iran are the founding member states of INSTC. The agreement was signed in 2002.
Current Member states
There are 13 member states of the INSTC project. The list of member states is given below.
India
Iran
Russia
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Kazakhstan
Belarus
Tajikistan
Kyrgystan
Oman
Turkey
Syria
Ukraine.
Others:
Bulgaria is the Observer State.
The Baltic countries like Latvia and Estonia have also expressed willingness to join the INSTC.
INSTC
The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is the ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia. It is a not a new concept. But the current INSTC project was initiated by Russia, India and Iran in September 2000 in St. Petersburg. The agreement was signed in 2000, and entered in force from 2002.
India’s ‘extended neighborhood’ and INSTC
With the coming of the new millennium, we are seeing a protracted effort from the Central government to connect with our ‘extended neighbourhood’.
This is obvious from the Look-East-turned-Act-East policy, Link West policy etc.
One of the significant corner in our extended neighbourhood is the Central Asia, with which we aim to re-connect, with our Connect Central Asia policy, pronounced in 2012.
Central Asia as a podium has received renewed interests after the swearing-in of the new Government. India attaining full membership in the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), PM Modi’s historic visit to the five Central Asian countries etc. stand testimony to this.
INSTC, or International North-South Transport Corridor, receives special mention in India-Central Asia relations.
MAPP
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What is INSTC?
The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a multi-modal connectivity project establish transport networks (ship, rail, and road route) for moving freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia.
INSTC would enhance accessibility to the land locked central Asian nations.
It is a not a new concept. This ancient route was used by European, Indian and many other foreign traders to reach out to the Central Asian markets. During the time of the Safavid dynasty, it is estimated that around 10,000 Indian traders were spread across the empire. (Safavids were one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Persia (modern Iran) from 1501 to 1736.)
The current INSTC project was initiated by Russia, India and Iran in September 2000 in St. Petersburg.
The modern day INSTC is a multi-modal transportation route linking Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran, and then onwards to northern Europe via St. Petersburg in Russia.
The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road. The objective of the corridor is to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan, Bandar Anzali and etc.
The INSTC Route
Mumbai is at the southern hub of the route.
Route extends to Bandar Abbas in Iran via sea. Bandar Abbas is a sprawling port city on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. It occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz.
From Bandar Abbas to Bandar-e-Anzali by road on Iranian mainland. Bandar-e-Anzali is another Iranian port but on the Caspian Sea side.
From Bandar-e-Anzali to Astrakhan by ship across the Caspian Sea. Astrakhan is a Caspian port in the Russian federation. The city lies on the two banks of the Volga River.
From Astrakhan to other regions of the Russian federation, and further into Europe by Russian Railways.
Objectives of North–South Transport Corridor
As per the agreement of 2002, the main objective of this route are:
increasing effectiveness of transport ties in order to organise goods and passenger transport along the International ‘North–South’ transport corridor;
the promotion of access to the international market through rail, road, sea, river and air transport of the state Parties to this agreement; and
providing security of travel and safety of goods
harmonization of transport policies as well as law and legislative basis in the field of transport for the purpose of implementing this Agreement.
