Sushma Swaraj's tenure as External Affairs Minister explained

Sushma Swaraj was the Indian External Affairs Minister under Prime Minister Narendra Modi from May 2014 till May 2019, responsible for implementing the foreign policy of Narendra Modi. She is only the second women to hold this position after Indira Gandhi.

Background

Swaraj was a lawyer by profession and a seasoned parliamentarian with many 'first-timer' records in her name, often considered to be among the best spoken Indian politician and also known for her diplomatic skills. She served as the Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014 and by virtue of her designation she had the opportunity to meet a galaxy of world leaders visiting India apart from her official foreign trips. This has significantly improved her understanding in world affairs and also helped her to develop a personal rapport with many important dignitaries.^[1]

Policy initiatives

Fast-track Diplomacy

On completion of the first 100 days of Modi Government the External Affairs Ministry published a booklet called "Fast Track Diplomacy"^[2] show-casing the achievement made in the foreign policy arena. In her first media interaction, the minister Sushma Swaraj said the catchphrase for her tenure was "fast-track diplomacy" and said it had three faces – proactive, strong and sensitive.^[3] Since taking office, the External Affairs Minister held round-table meeting with all Indian heads of missions to the SAARC region, ASEAN region and Middle East separately as a follow up measure to carry forward the leads gained by high-profile visits and exchanges.

Act East Policy

From the very beginning, the NDA Government made it amply clear that India would focus more and more on improving relation with ASEAN and other East Asian countries as per India's Look East policy which was formulated during Narasimha Rao's Government in 1992 for better economic engagement with its eastern neighbours but successive Governments later successfully turned it into a tool for forging strategic partnership and security cooperation with countries in that region in general and Vietnam and Japan in particular.^[4] In her recent visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, Sushma Swaraj has stressed on the need for an Act East Policy^[5] that she said should replace India's over two decade-old Look East Policy emphasizing a more proactive role for India in this region.^[6]

Multilateral engagements

ASEAN Regional Forum

Swaraj attended the 2014 ASEAN Regional Forum followed by the related EAS Foreign Ministers meeting, held from 8–11 August in Naypidaw, Myanmar, which was her first ever appearance in multilateral forums after becoming India's foreign affairs head. She had held bilateral meetings with her counterparts from seven countries including China, Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia.^[7] ^[8]

Foreign trips made as External Affairs Minister

The following is a list of international visits made by Swaraj after taking office as External Affairs Minister on 26 May 2014.

2014

width=150	Country	width=100	Areas visited	width=200	Date(s)	width=150	Purpose(s)	width=400	Notes
Bangladesh	Dhaka	26–27 June	Official visit	See also: Bangladesh–India relations.
Bhutan	Thimpu	16–17 June	Official visit	See also: Bhutan–India relations.
Nepal	Kathmandu	27–29 July	Official visit	See also: India–Nepal relations.
Myanmar	Naypidaw	8–11 August	ASEAN Regional Forum	See also: India–Myanmar relations.
Singapore	Singapore	16–18 August	Official visit	See also: India–Singapore relations.
	Hanoi	24–25 August	Official visit	See also: India–Vietnam relations.
Bahrain	Manama	7–8 September	Official visit	See also: Bahrain–India relations.
Afghanistan	Kabul	10 September	Official visit	See also: Afghanistan–India relations.
Tajikistan	Dushanbe	11–12 September	SCO	See also: India–Tajikistan relations.
United States	New York City, Washington	24 September – 1 October	United Nations	See also: India–United States relations.
United Kingdom	London	17 October	Official visit	See also: India–United Kingdom relations.
Mauritius	Port Louis	1–3 November	Official visit	See also: India–Mauritius relations.
Maldives	Malé	3 November	Official visit	See also: India–Maldives relations.
United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi	10–12 November	Official visit	See also: India–United Arab Emirates relations.
Nepal	Kathmandu	24–27 November	SAARC summit	See also: 18th SAARC summit and India–Nepal relations.
	Seoul	28–30 December	Official visit	See also: India–South Korea relations.

2015

width=150	Country	width=100	Areas visited	width=200	Date(s)	width=150	Purpose(s)	width=400	Notes
China	Beijing	31 January – 3 February	RIC summit and Official visit	See also: China–India relations.
Oman	Muscat	17–18 February	Official visit	See also: India–Oman relations.
Sri Lanka	Colombo	6–7 March	Official visit	See also: India–Sri Lanka relations.
Turkmenistan	Ashgabat	7–9 April	Official visit	See also: India–Turkmenistan relations.
Indonesia	Bandung	21–24 April	Bandung Conference	See also: India–Indonesia relations.
South Africa	Durban	18–21 May	Official visit	See also: India–South Africa relations.
United States	New York City	20–22 June	Yoga Day celebration at United Nations	See also: India–United States relations.
Nepal	Kathmandu	2 June	Donor's conference on Nepal earthquake Rehabilitation	See also: India–Nepal relations.
Thailand	Bangkok	27–29 June	Official visit	See also: India–Thailand relations.
Egypt	Cairo	23–25 August	Official visit	See also: Egypt–India relations.
Germany	Berlin	25–27 August	Official visit	See also: Germany–India relations.
Pakistan	Islamabad	7–8 December	Heart of Asia conference	See also: India–Pakistan relations.