Should India lease Yemen's Socotra island to make a naval base?

[IBSA]

I agree with all advantages exposed in the first post. India already controls the Indic Ocean east entrance through bases in Nicobar and Andaman islands in the Malacca Strait. If it seizes the Socotra Island, it may also seizes the west entrance of Indic Ocean in the Bal-el Mandeb Strait.

But what Saudis would think??? Yemen is a weak country highly influenced by Saudi interests due to security reasons. And Saudis are ally of Pakis. They can pressure Yemen to not lease the island for Indians to please their friends Pakis and 'to not allow infidels put their feet in Moslem soil'.

Maybe the best would be India supports the South Yemen secessionist claims, because an independent South Yemen governed from Aden port would look for Indic Ocean countries and may lease the island for India in order to make money for the State.

 

[Ray]

If it seizes the Socotra Island, it may also seizes the west entrance of Indic Ocean in the Bal-el Mandeb Strait?

It is a critical point on the Europe - Gulf oil route.

History indicates the strategic interest the West has over the Suez and the Gulf of Aden.

So, would they permit Indian 'seizing' this island?

I wonder!

Nasser tried to bring South Yemen into the Untied Arab Republic fold IIRC and failed.

If a co-religionist failed, then how can an infidel be allowed to succeed, and the Yemenis are fiercely Islamic!

 

[Yusuf]

Id say we lease Hawaii

 

[arnabmit]

India had been working for years with Tajikistan to upgrade Ayni and the Indians were confident they would be allowed to use it as their first real military and strategic foothold in Central Asia. They had already sent 150 military personnel there to carry out base improvements and prepare the way for it to be used for support missions on behalf of U.S. and allied forces operating in Afghanistan.

Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrohan Zarifi, however, pulled the plug on that idea in early January. Less than a month later, on January 27, Zarifi announced he had opened talks with the Kremlin on letting the Russian Air Force use the base.

The United States is regarded by extreme Islamists as their greatest enemy and India is Hindu, and often at odds with Muslim Pakistan. Therefore, if President Rahmon allows either country to use Ayni, he risks giving the Islamic extremists a potent popular issue.

However, working with Russia does not run that risk. Russia is not fighting the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan, unlike the United States and India. The Russians have fought two bloody wars against the Chechens over the past 16 years. But that is far away from Central Asia and it is seen as much more of a direct nationalist conflict.

Tajikistan, therefore, has much to gain, and little to lose by letting the Russians use Ayni.

Tajiks likely to grant Russia access to Ayni air base, says analyst

In recent times India has not been averse to looking at overseas military bases. For eg., Farkhor Air Base in Tajikistan.

Farkhor Air Base - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

India also spent $70m on redeveloping Ayni air base (Gissar) close to Tajik capital Dushanbe.

 

[nirranj]

Id say we lease Hawaii

I will want the Miami Beaches as Well

 

[nirranj]

Well its a good idea. We can place some P8's or tupolevs over there and have a complete cover over the west africa from south africa to Suez canal. I will like to place some Anti subarine Helicopters as well!!

But before, Please ask the govt to get back Kachcha Theevu... Our fishermen being killed by a neighbour...

 

[ninja85]

nice idea more expensive than mangalyaan,chandrayaan1,chandrayaan 2,blah....blah....blah.....blah.....blah......

 

[tramp]

India could explore the possibility of developing a naval facility on the island "jointly" with Yemen and place some naval vessels ostensibly to fight Somali piracy.... and later on expand the base.

Of course no little finger of Indian administration will move until the abominable mix of Scowling Intransigence Made in Italy, Walking Graveyard Silence with a turban and Crawling Ineptitude in the form of foreign policy is not sunk first.

 

[Armand2REP]

Yemen will not sell, but they will lease to the one willing to pay. It was already offered to Russia but they didn't want to spend building infrastructure from scratch. There really is nothing there.

 

[Waffen SS]

I think another advantage we will have, after making base in Socotra we will be able to establish an IAF base there, 1 squadron of Rafaels from Socotra base and 1 squadron Rafaels from Andaman and Nicobar base will be able to cover entire Arabian ocean and Bay Of Bengal completely, thus allowing Indian navy(now largely relieved of duty to patrol Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal) to focus more on Indian Ocean including complete commitment of Indian naval Air arm in Indian ocean which is vital.