At a time when “social distancing” and “work from home” have become the norm, South Block is making efforts to conduct “virtual” diplomacy in the absence of “face-to-face” meetings.
Besides virtual summits and phone calls, demarche, consular access and even presentation of credentials have moved to online platforms.
In early April, in the middle of the nationwide lockdown, when the government realised that hundreds of foreigners had been rounded up for attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi in March, many embassies reached out to the Ministry of External Affairs for “consular access” (a meeting between a diplomat and the foreign national facing charges). The MEA decided to grant virtual “consular access” via video conference.Again, in mid-April, when South Block wanted to lodge a strong protest with Pakistan over what it called unprovoked firing that resulted in the killing of civilians near the Line of Control, a “demarche” (diplomatic note) was issued over the phone to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
“A strong demarche was made to the Pakistan side on the killing of three innocent Indian civilians with a phone call, which was followed by an email,” a source said.
At least two Indian ambassadors who took charge recently presented their credentials “virtually”. India’s newly appointed High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, who went to Colombo in an Indian Air Force aircraft along with the medical supplies, presented his credentials to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa through a video conference.
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