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In Covid-19 crisis diplomacy, demarches served on phone, credentials presented via video calls
At least four demarches or formal diplomatic representations were served on Pakistani diplomats based in New Delhi by being read out over telephone, including a demarche served on May 4 to protest against the Pakistan government’s plans to conduct elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The Covid-19 crisis has led to significant changes in the conduct of diplomacy, with demarches being served over the telephone and Indian envoys presenting their credentials to foreign governments via video conference.
The external affairs ministry has also significantly stepped up the use of video conferences, both for internal meetings and multilateral and bilateral engagements since Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a virtual meeting of heads of government of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) on March 15.
People familiar with developments, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said at least four demarches or formal diplomatic representations were served on Pakistani diplomats based in New Delhi by being read out over telephone. This included a demarche served on May 4 to protest against the Pakistan government’s plans to conduct elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The serving of demarches is usually elaborate affairs, with diplomats usually being summoned to the ministry to be formally handed over the note of protest. Such meetings are also arranged after a certain amount of coordination between the two sides, but the people said such meetings are being are currently being avoided to prevent the possible spread of infections.
On May 14, India’s envoy to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay, presented his credentials to the island country’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa via video conference. This ceremony – during which an envoy hands over a letter regarding his appointment to the head of state of the host country – is necessary for the envoy to formally begin his official duties.
Baglay was in his office, wearing a face mask and with a bottle of sanitiser on his table, and held up the official letter during the ceremony which was joined by Rajapaksa over a video link. “#Technology in step with time leads the way! In an important innovative initiative, High Commissioner HE Gopal Baglay presented Letter of Credence to President HE @GotabayaR today in a ceremony held thru video-conferencing,” the Indian mission tweeted.
A few days earlier, Baglay had arrived in Colombo in unusual circumstances.
After being unable to join his post for more than two months because of Covid-19-related travel restrictions, Baglay flew to Colombo on May 8 in an air force transport aircraft that ferried 12.5 tonnes of medical supplies. Several other diplomats posted to foreign missions are still waiting to join their new assignments.
The external affairs ministry recently considered a proposal to allow several foreign ambassadors-designate posted to New Delhi to present their credentials via video conference, but the move was shot down at the higher level, the people cited above said.
“There was a feeling that the ambassadors-designate would miss out on the colourful and unique ceremonies held at Rashtrapati Bhavan to present their credentials,” said one of the people cited above.
However, the foreign envoys who are yet to present their credentials were informed that they could function as full-fledged ambassadors in view of unusual circumstances caused by the pandemic, the people said.
As the use of video conferences has increased, some of the more tech savvy foreign envoys based in New Delhi have been briefing the media using a variety of apps. The UK high commission, which usually hosts an iftar during Ramzan, has scheduled a “virtual iftar” on May 21 that will be addressed by acting high commissioner Jan Thompson and inter-faith leaders.
There has also been an uptick in video conferences that are being joined by external affairs minister S Jaishankar and foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, both for multilateral and bilateral consultations. One of the most important such meetings was the video conference hosted on May 11 by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo that was joined by Jaishankar and his counterparts from Australia, Japan, Brazil, Israel and South Korea.
“These conferences aren’t totally unique because diplomacy is also about picking up the phone to get in touch with our foreign counterparts on important issues. It’s just that we are using such methods more often now,” said a second person who declined to be named.
