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.
