New Delhi: While all eyes are on the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa, a three-day forum organised by high-profile individuals from the global Indian diaspora is on in Delhi where top diplomats, business leaders and more are attending.
The event, ‘Indiaspora G20 Forum in New Delhi’, aims to create a dialogue around the Indian diaspora and its contributions to the Indian economy and to a degree, Indian foreign policy too.
It is being held from 22 to 24 August ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit that will take place in Delhi from 9-10 September.
According to Sanjeev Joshipura, Executive Director of ‘Indiaspora’ — an organisation heading the event — the goal is to become the “Davos of India”.
“Founded 11 years ago, Indiaspora is a network of prominent leaders from the Indian diaspora that include CEOs, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, healthcare professionals and more. We’ve helped set up closed-door meetings and Track 1.5 dialogues in various countries,” he told ThePrint. “The goal is to become the ‘Davos of India’.”
US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti’s remarks at the launch of the event Tuesday made headlines, mainly due to one anecdote.
“He (US President Joe Biden) told me, when he asked me to come here to serve, he said, ‘this is the most important country in the world for me’. I think something that no American president has ever uttered in the history of our two countries,” said Garcetti.
Hours later, the White House confirmed that President Biden will visit India from 7-10 September for the G20 Summit. This comes two months after PM Modi paid a state visit to the US where he addressed the US Congress and witnessed a slew of defence deals.
On Wednesday, during a keynote address at the event, former foreign secretary Harsh Shringla made special mention of the US-India jet engine deal and the role of Indian-Americans in furthering the bilateral relationship.
“The agreement to manufacture advanced jet engines in India marks a significant milestone in the growing trust between our nations…As torchbearers of this relationship and the relationship that we enjoy with countries across the world, the diaspora will always serve as ambassadors of its timeless value,” Shringla said in his address.
He added that the diaspora will play a key role in the next 25 years along India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation.
However, throughout the event, one question went unaddressed: what’s the likelihood of a joint communique from the G20 Leaders’ Summit? It’s an important question given that a joint declaration would help seal the “success” of India’s G20 presidency.
Last year, in the aftermath of the Ukraine war, the Indonesian G20 Presidency reportedly ‘struggled’ to find consensus on the Bali Declaration due to disagreements between Russia and the West.
During India’s presidency, not a single joint communique has come out of any G20 ministerials. Instead, only “chair summaries” have been issued, some of which went as far as to include footnotes naming Russia and China as countries that objected to certain paragraphs.
Asked about his confidence in finding consensus for the Delhi Declaration, Shringla, on the sidelines of the Indiaspora event, told ThePrint: “Absolutely, there will be a joint document”.
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Contributions of Indians abroad
A panel discussion Wednesday on how Indian communities worldwide have shaping trade, commerce, technology, arts, and bilateral ties, saw the participation of four top diplomats: Canada High Commissioner Cameron MacKay; Israel Ambassador Naor Gilon; High Commissioner of Trinidad & Tobago Roger Gopaul and Emily Roper, Minister-Counsellor Policy Branch from the Australian High Commission.
US India Business Council president Atul Keshap, a former diplomat who briefly served as Chargé d’Affaires in the US Embassy, was also present.
MacKay noted that India is the “top supplier of people” in every visa category, adding that 15,000 visas are processed from India every week. He also tipped his hat to Canadian billionaire businessman Prem Watsa and others for their “leadership” in furthering the Indo-Canada business relationship.
In 2022, Watsa had said his company Fairfax Financial Holdings invested $7 billion in India so far and will double it in next 4-5 years. This despite Fairfax running into trouble with SEBI for allegedly violating mutual fund regulations, which eventually resulted in the firm paying approximately $35,335 to settle the charges in March this year.
Keshap, meanwhile, recalled an anecdote to illustrate how Indian-Americans emerged as pillars of communities in various US states.
“When George W. Bush was running for president, there was a gathering in Crawford…a symposium to talk about foreign policy. They talked for hours and at the end — as the story has been told to me by two reliable eyewitnesses — Bush asked the group: ‘What about India?’” said Keshap.
“They said, ‘India’s got potential but it’s not there yet’. But Bush said that in his state – Texas – every town has an Indian doctor who is one of the most important citizens…They’re pillars of communities.”
Currently, there are 4 million Indian-Americans who are the highest-earning ethnic group there. While five Indian-Americans are in the US Congress, three from the Republican party are in the race for US president.
On the Indian diaspora in Australia, Roper referenced the Australian foreign ministry’s report in March 2022 titled “Australia’s Indian Diaspora: A National Asset”.
“The Indian diaspora is a rich source of dynamism and enterprise,” she said, about the community which forms about 4 percent of Australia’s population. “They have the connections, language skills, and know-how that’s relevant to understanding India’s complex market and influencing Australia’s perception within them.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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