India reaches out to global partners amid COVID-19

The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi has reached out to the heads of states and governments from around the world, extending all possible help in a united fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease. The health epidemic has claimed more than 171,500 lives between the beginning of December 2019 and the third week of April 2020 while over 2.5 million people have so far contracted the disease in over 180 countries. With a cure believed to be at least a year away, countries around the world have enforced vast lockdowns as a measure to arrest the spread of the disease. The lockdowns have brought the movement of humans and goods to a virtual halt, which is expected to cost the global economy much more than US$1 trillion in 2020. In such circumstances, the Indian Government has been communicating with other countries to minimise the impact of the pandemic on the economy and society. In the face of such unprecedented challenges, India has strengthened its ties with partner nations across the scope of scientific collaborations, trade of critical goods, and exchange of key information and resources. 

The lockdowns have suspended/restricted the movement of humans and goods worldwide, a necessary move that is expected to cost the global economy much more than US$1 trillion in 2020.

Here are some of PM Modi’s latest exchanges with global leaders amid the COVID-19 crisis:

• On April 4, PM Modi had a telephonic conversation with US President Donald Trump, wherein the two leaders agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to effectively combat COVID-19. The two leaders exchanged notes on the respective steps taken in each country for mitigating the health and economic impacts of the pandemic.
• On April 2, PM Modi had a telephone conversation with Prince Charles of the UK. The two dignitaries discussed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the initiatives taken by the two countries to battle the crisis. On the call, Prince Charles expressed his appreciation for the members of the Indian diaspora in the UK who are playing a seminal role in COVID-19 efforts.
• On April 2, PM Modi also had a conversation with the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. The leaders discussed the situation in their respective countries and the importance of collaboration for fighting the health crisis. They agreed to cooperate to tackle the inadequate availability of medicines and medical equipment required during the pandemic.
• On March 31, PM Modi spoke with the French President Emmanuel Macron, wherein the leaders underlined the importance of global collaboration and solidarity in the present situation. They agreed that the expert teams of both countries would actively share information on measures to prevent the spread of the virus and research on treatment and vaccines.
• On April 10 PM Modi had a chat with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The two leaders discussed the global health and economic challenges emerging out of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also discussed the steps taken in their respective countries to deal with this crisis as well as avenues of collaboration to minimise the varied impacts of the health crisis.
• On March 25 PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the global situation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The two leaders agreed on further consultation and cooperation in addressing all challenges faced by this major global crisis, including those pertaining to health, medicine, scientific research, humanitarian matters and impact on the global economy.
• On April 6 PM Modi had a telephonic chat with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The leaders discussed the domestic response strategies being adopted by their respective Governments. They agreed on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in the context of this health crisis, including through collaborative research efforts.
• On April 9 PM Modi spoke with the South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The two leaders discussed the COVID-19 global pandemic and the challenges it posed to the global health and economic systems. They shared information about the measures taken in their countries to tackle the pandemic and agreed to partner in technology-driven initiatives.
• On April 4 PM Modi had a chat with Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro. The leaders discussed the global situation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The leaders stressed the significance of close cooperation between India and Brazil, bilaterally as well as in the multilateral institutional framework, to mitigate the grave crises caused by COVID-19.
• On April 4 PM Modi had a chat with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon. The leaders discussed the global challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed on the vitality of global cooperation for fighting the health crisis. Both agreed that the world needs to adopt a human-centric concept of globalisation for the post-COVID era.

PM Modi has also had telephonic conversations with the President of the Maldives, President of Egypt, President of South Africa, King of Jordan, Prime Minister of Bhutan, Prime Minister of Vietnam, Prime Minister of Nepal, Prime Minister of Sweden, Sultan of Oman, King of Bahrain, Prime Minister of Kuwait, and the Prime Minister of Israel, among others. PM Modi has continued his interactions with various stakeholders in the fight against COVID-19. The Government of India has taken several measures to ease the impact of the pandemic on the poorest sections of the society with a US$22.5 billion relief plan apart from targeted initiatives to aid traders and investors in the country. With initiatives such as the COVID fund for SAARC bloc, among others, India has extended Coronavirus relief efforts to foreign countries. 

India, with a population of over 1.3 billion, has so far reported more than 18,650 Coronavirus cases and around 600 deaths. The Government has enforced a nation-wide lockdown from March 25 to contain the spread of the disease, a necessary move that will have an unavoidable impact on the economy. However, while the world slips into a recession due to the pandemic, India is expected to come out as an exception, as per the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Another report, by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), has pegged India’s growth at 4.8 per cent in 2020. Meanwhile, the World Bank expects India to grow by up to 2.8 per cent, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected India’s growth to be 1.9 per cent in 2020.