LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1714
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.09.2020
SUMMIT DIPLOMACY
1714. SHRI T. R. BAALU:
Will the Minister of External Affairs be pleased to state:
(a) whether the reference given recently by the Government to Summit Diplomacy over traditional foreign policy making, has proved to be a severe handicap, while keeping in view that Summit Diplomacy cannot be a substitute for carefully structured foreign office
policy making;
(b) if so, the details thereon with special reference to Asian Continent;
(c) whether India’s Summit Diplomacy has tended to marginalise the External Affairs Ministry thus placing the country at a disadvantage; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]
(a) to (d) The Government takes a holistic and multi-faceted approach towards diplomacy that advances our national interests using all instruments and mechanisms at its command. Leadership-level interactions have a prominent place in these endeavours, as
do the regular engagements of our diplomats. They reinforce each other and should not be considered as exclusive choices.
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