I wrote a post last week on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's then planned state visit to India. Now that his trip has concluded, I thought I would provide some highlights from Syria's state-run SANA News Agency's in-depth coverage. As previously mentioned, al-Assad sought to strengthen bilateral relations with India on both political and economic matters. Here are some of the primary developments from the trip according to SANA's reporting:
– Perhaps indicative of the trip's significance and scope, al-Assad and his wife were accompanied by a delegation drawn from a number of Syria's ministries. This included ministers of foreign affairs, communications, as well as economics and commerce.
– A number of agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed between the two states. They deal with encouraging and protecting investment, preventing double taxation, and cooperation in agriculture and related sectors.
– While addressing representatives from India's media, al-Assad pointed to India's growing importance in Asia and the Arab world. He also claimed that a number of developments, such as the Doha Agreement and the truce in Gaza, are indicative of positive change in the Middle East. However, while meeting with the heads of India's foreign ministry, he urged India to take on a more active diplomatic role in the region.
– On the issue of IT, al-Assad met with India's communications and technology minister in order to learn from the country's experience on such matters as e-governance. India also voiced it's readiness to invest in Syria's IT sector. Additionally, India's IT company Infosys, as well as its Institute for Information Technology, held information sessions on various programs for the al-Assads.
– The president and his wife also visited the Indian Space Research Organization in Bangalore where they were briefed on developments in the organization's satellite program.
While SANA's coverage of al-Assad's visit should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt, it's worth noting that India's stake in the Middle East is significant. Some suggest that India is looking to secure energy deals with Arab countries and Iran in order to help sustain its economic growth. In turn, it appears that Syria is looking to benefit from India's experience and capacity in the sectors of communications and technology.
Being that Syria is both the current chair of the Arab League, and a major ally of Iran, India is perhaps looking to the Arab state as the linchpin of its Middle East agenda. And while Syria is not the most hydrocarbon-rich of the Arab nations, it does have significant influence on various ongoing security issues in the region… whether it be Iraq, Lebanon, or the Arab-Israeli conflict. However, despite the ostensible shared interests between the two countries, one might ask how deeper relations with Syria may impact India's relations with Israel.
