This year India is organizing its Independence Day on the theme of Atam Nirbhar Bharat. India’s goal has always been self-sufficiency, but the global epidemic COVID-19 took it seriously due to the disruption of foreign trade. Various developments taking place in today’s times have posed challenges before India’s foreign policy. On the one hand India’s interests are being affected due to American policies, on the other hand, due to China’s policy world politics, India is facing a problem in South Asia.
India has always followed foreign policy independently, whether it was a period of bipolar world order or unipolar. Since independence, India adopted some principles for its foreign policy such as Panchsheel theory, Non-Aligned Movement, Gujral Doctrine and Nuclear Theory.
The present government is trying to redefine foreign policy by communicating with all countries to increase national interests. In this period of epidemic, the External Affairs Minister of India attended the virtual conference of Foreign Ministers of BRICS countries. In this meeting, the Foreign Minister of India said that India is helping about 85 countries to fight the epidemic through medicines and other equipment so that these countries can also fight the epidemic and conquer it. India participated in a virtual summit with the Heads of SAARC (SAARC) countries and also proposed to have a virtual summit with the Heads of the G-20 countries. Through both these summits, the Prime Minister of India used various regional and multilateral forums to deal with the epidemic of COVID-19. While at one time all these forums seemed headless. In addition to these diplomatic contracts, India has also continued to play a role consistent with its image of the ‘world’s drugstore’. For this, India has exported the anti-malarial drug Hydroxy Chloroquine (HCQ) to the whole world. At this time, India’s ‘First Neighborhood’ and ‘Act East’ policy are also seen to be unified.
India’s first neighborhood policy is good but we also cannot ignore our distant friends. Therefore, the spirit of ‘world brotherhood’ that is identifying India is also being carried forward.
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