India, Mongolia to cooperate on security and foreign policy

[ejazr]

India, Mongolia to cooperate on security and foreign policy, IBN Live News

Ulaanbaatar, Sep 3 (Montsame) India and Mongolia have agreed to widen the collaboration between the security and foreign policy organisations of the two countries. This was agreed during a visit of a high-level Indian delegation led by H Upadhyaya, Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee Secretariat under the National Security Council. During a meeting with Mongolian Minister of Foreign Affairs G Zandanshatar here, Upadhyaya said India is ready to give technical assistance to the National Security Council of Mongolia with an aim to widen the collaboration between the security and foreign policy organisations of the two countries. The Indian delegation visited Mongolia at the invitation of Enkhtuvshin, a Secretary of Mongolia's National Security Council. Zandanshatar underlined importance of keeping a frequency of high level mutual visits and political talks, and expressed his satisfaction with strengthening of the ties between the National security councils and defense organisations. The Mongolian minister said his country supports India's effort to become a member of the UN Security Council. He expressed a willingness to continue the cooperation with India in improving skills of Mongolia for participating in the UN peacekeeping operations and in frames of the multilateral cooperation for regional security. (Montsame)

 

[Tshering22]

We were about to have an air base there for surveillance until last year when the wonderful ruling government got worried about China's annoyance and canceled it. It was such an embarrassment to first ask Mongols a base and when they agreed for one, then backtracking.

 

[Ray]

Is this a part of the Chain of Mailed Fists to respond to the String of Pearls?

One should not worry about Chinese reaction. They tend to be hypersensitive and then as one of my friends said, Resorts to hyper ventilation!

There is no doubt that it would worry China if India and Mongolia got too chummy since Inner Mongolia is a part where there are minorities.

Tibet, Xinjiang and then Inner Mongolia.

 

[civfanatic]

We should focus on obtaining bases in countries in SE Asia like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam instead of Mongolia. All these countries have good relations with us, feel threatened by China, and are strategically located astride the Indian Ocean shipping lanes.

In comparison Mongolia offers very little in strategic value, plus Mongolia is a landlocked country with no land route with India, which makes reinforcement in case of war extremely difficult.

 

[Ray]

We should focus on obtaining bases in countries in SE Asia like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam instead of Mongolia. All these countries have good relations with us, feel threatened by China, and are strategically located astride the Indian Ocean shipping lanes.

In comparison Mongolia offers very little in strategic value, plus Mongolia is a landlocked country with no land route with India, which makes reinforcement in case of war extremely difficult.

From a strategic point of view, it seems to be prudent to be equipoise in unsettling China since she wily nilly takes unilateral actions that warrants India's attention in the diplomatic and military realms, the latest being her rather odd pronouncement and activities in POK or rather Northern Area, held by Pakistan.

Therefore, any semblance of 'encircling' China would raise China's hackles. To that end, Mongolia is ideal. From the long term perspective, with Russia not taking too kindly the Chinese advent in the superpower game and filching her weapon technology without royalty and passing it as China's own, it is a wise move to start the 'game' from the East, and then along with Russia, work on the countries to the South of Russia bordering China. Then work along India's north to Nepal (that is why China is very worried and are attempting to buy up the Nepalese MPs with Rs Nepal One million per Joe to Bhutan. Work is in progress with Myanmar and making it neutral. Bangladesh is iffy. Malaysia is not too pro India since they are worried about the resurgent nationalist movement amongst the Malaysians of Indian origin. So long as Lee Kuan Yew remains the Minister Mentor, Singapore will remain India oriented. Thailand has ancient ties with India and so does Cambodia and even Vietnam. These nations are wary of China and Vietnam is working for close relations.

Therefore, there can be the possibility of India posing a 'threat in being'.

Is the Indian Govt working to that end?

I believe Manmohan feels he is an assertive PM, better than Nehru or his daughter, even though the media chat in NDTV and elsewhere belied that impression!

Vir Sanghvi was the opinion that Manmohan was being bold because he has served his purpose and having warmed the chair for Prince Charming is on the way out! The last roar so to say!

 

[tony4562]

Is this a part of the Chain of Mailed Fists to respond to the String of Pearls?

One should not worry about Chinese reaction. They tend to be hypersensitive and then as one of my friends said, Resorts to hyper ventilation!

There is no doubt that it would worry China if India and Mongolia got too chummy since Inner Mongolia is a part where there are minorities.

Tibet, Xinjiang and then Inner Mongolia.

Just for your info: China has more ethnical mongols than anywhere else including Mongolia, still ehtnical mongols make out only 17% of Inner Mongolia's population whereas hans make up 79% (same as in Singapore). Another thing to remember is that mongols in china like manchus are very much sinicized.