Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman may not have dominated prime-time debates back home, but in diplomatic circles it was closely watched—and quietly consequential. In just a few days, India reinforced its standing across West Asia and Africa, secured strategic goodwill, and burnished its image as a reliable, respected power of the Global South.
This was not a tour designed for spectacle. It was a carefully calibrated diplomatic sprint—short, efficient, and layered with long-term intent.
The most striking moment came in Addis Ababa, where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed conferred on Narendra Modi Ethiopia’s highest civilian honour. Such awards are not routine diplomatic courtesies. They are signals—carefully chosen messages to the world about whom a nation trusts and values.
For India, the honour underscored its rising influence in Africa’s strategic heartland. Ethiopia is not just another African state; it is a diplomatic hub, host to the African Union, and a key player in the Red Sea–Horn of Africa security matrix. India’s expanding cooperation there—from defence training and UN peacekeeping to digital public infrastructure and development partnerships—positions New Delhi as a credible alternative to debt-heavy or extractive models of engagement.
More importantly, it reinforces India’s identity as a partner that builds institutions rather than dependencies.
In Jordan, Modi’s visit coincided with 75 years of diplomatic relations, providing a symbolic and substantive milestone. Discussions focused on renewable energy, water management, and digital cooperation—three sectors central to Jordan’s national priorities.
India’s growing expertise in solar power, affordable digital governance platforms, and water conservation technologies offers Jordan solutions rather than slogans. The warmth of the engagement—marked by royal courtesies and swift agreements—reflected a relationship built steadily over decades, not hurriedly assembled for headlines.
In a region often buffeted by geopolitical volatility, Jordan sees India as a stabilising force: pragmatic, non-interventionist, and economically relevant.
If Jordan represented trust and Ethiopia symbolised recognition, Oman embodied continuity. Celebrating 70 years of diplomatic ties, the Muscat leg focused on expanding trade, energy cooperation, and investment flows.
Oman’s strategic location along key maritime routes and its deep historical links with India make it central to New Delhi’s Indian Ocean and Gulf strategy. Discussions on upgrading economic engagement signal India’s intent to move beyond traditional buyer-seller relationships toward deeper strategic and commercial integration.
The large Indian diaspora in Oman also featured prominently—an often underappreciated pillar of India’s global influence.
Taken together, the three visits reflect a broader recalibration of India’s foreign policy:
First, ceremonial honours and warm receptions translate into diplomatic capital. They lower political friction and open doors for security, trade, and technology cooperation.
Second, India is deepening its footprint across regions that connect Africa, the Gulf, and Southeast Asia—critical corridors of global trade and energy flows.
Third, by offering scalable development solutions rather than ideological prescriptions, India enhances its appeal in the Global South.
Finally, this outreach strengthens India’s standing in Southeast Asia, where nations increasingly view India as a counterbalance that is economically credible, politically independent, and culturally resonant.
Modi’s Jordan–Ethiopia–Oman tour may have lasted only a few days, but its implications are long-term. It reaffirmed India’s emergence as a nation that is not merely present on the global stage, but increasingly respected—honoured by partners, sought after for solutions, and trusted for stability.
If backed by consistent follow-through—investments, defence cooperation, and people-to-people engagement—this understated tour could well become another building block in India’s steadily expanding global influence.
Quiet diplomacy, it turns out, can still speak volumes.
