S. Jaishankar- The Foreign Affairs Minister of India must start to consider non-resident ambassadors in India. Mark George, a former diplomat, explained that many small countries are now considering non-resident ambassadors in India, and the world’s largest democracy must also do vice versa.
He said that by balancing its traditional emphasis on only resident ambassadors, India needs to pragmatically extend its diplomatic reach with the appointment of non-resident ambassadors.
Since India has achieved the status of being a regional power, the country is feeling a growing need to exercise its sovereignty and strategic autonomy. India’s penchant for choosing resident ambassadors only limits the nation’s diplomatic purview, though. Yet, India has not made any amendments to its diplomatic approach so as to appoint non-resident ambassadors in the country, facilitating a greater level of integration with its international counterparts.
In the era of global diplomacy, the conditions are ripe for any nation of not to build a presence in other nations through ambassadors, whether resident or non-resident. Even though the population of foreign citizens residing in India is nominal compared to what the nation presents with itself, these relatively few citizens that reside in India, have the right to be represented and have their needs met.
Appointing non-resident ambassadors could provide these nations with a practical and efficient means to maintain diplomatic relations and ensure their small communities are adequately represented and their concerns are addressed in the appropriate manner.
India also primarily focuses on the presence of non-resident ambassadors to maintain and enhance relations with a number of countries where the Indian diaspora is not at a large scale.
For instance, the needs of Somalia are addressed by the Indian High Commission in Kenya, Liberia’s by the one in Ivory Coast, while Nicaragua and Costa Rica’s needs are met by the embassy in Panama.
Similarly, Uruguay and Paraguay are overseen from Argentina, Bolivia from Peru, and Ecuador from Colombia. In Africa, Lesotho’s affairs are managed from South Africa, while Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Cape Verde are under Senegal’s purview.
This pattern continues across various continents, with the Indian diplomatic missions in Finland, Romania, Sweden, Poland, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Switzerland, Madagascar, Mozambique, Sudan, Guyana, and Suriname extending their scope to cover additional countries like Estonia, Albania, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, the Solomon Islands, and several others. In a unique arrangement, India has the India-Taipei Association in Taiwan as well.
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In simple terms, it’s quite important for India to consider accepting non-resident ambassadors from countries that have only a small number of their citizens living in India. Even though these countries might not have a large population in India, their citizens still have specific needs and concerns that need to be addressed.
While the presence of an ambassador might not be necessary at all times, having someone appointed to look after these citizens’ interests, even from a distance, can make a significant impact when it comes to maintaining good international relations.
 Global Contrast
It is well known that in the European Union, Caribbean or all other small island nations, where resources are often limited, the use of non-resident ambassadors becomes the primary choice. These countries often appoint a single ambassador to multiple countries. This method helps in balancing economic and administrative efficiency at the individual level, when approaching bilateral relationships.
Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State explains, “Diplomacy is not a synonym for weakness. It is not appeasement. It is, however, the best tool we have for navigating the world’s complexities and finding common ground with others, even when we disagree.”
 Need for Policy or Regulation
The debate surrounding the formulation of a policy to accept non-resident ambassadors continues among many experts and Indian policymakers, yet are very few signs of progess on this front. A political science professor based in Rajasthan, Dr Jai Kumar Rao argues that a flexible approach might be much more beneficial and adapting to the changing global landscape will help the nation integrate with international partners far more smoothly.
 What is the role of an Ambassador
An ambassador is a senior diplomat who represents his or her home country in a foreign nation.
Appointed by the head of the government, an ambassador is in charge of managing relations and negotiating treaties, while building economic, cultural and political relations with the host nation on behalf of his country of origin. Often, ambassadors also support local citizens abroad, by helping them protect themselves and facilitate the resolution of issues in foreign nations. Ambassadors work at the embassy, a building located in the capital of the host country, which is usually the center for all diplomatic activity in the nation.
India’s role as a regional power
India’s new found status as a regional power in the Indian ocean has made the nation a significant ally for both major Western powers, as well as smaller developing nations. As a developing power itself, India now has the added responsibility of ensuring that the interests of smaller nations are voiced at international forums.
In this bid to exercise its rights as a nation of great importance in the region, India must now look at making changes to its approach towards diplomacy. Thus, the nation requires non-resident ambassadors and diplomats, who can work closely with the Indian diplomatic apparatus to streamline relations with such nations.
India must also ensure that it maintains its ties with smaller nations in Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. This highlights the need to accommodate them and allow them to foster relationships via non-resident ambassadors, considering the limited resources that some nations have at their disposal.
Nations where India does not have an Embassy
India can boast of one the most expansive diplomatic networks in the world, which has been fostered and extended by the nation in a meticulous manner over decades. Having said that, India as a nation has not managed to maintain diplomatic missions in multiple nations around the world.
The nation does however, use its embassies in a particular region to maintain diplomatic ties with nations that do not have an Indian embassy in them. Enclosed in the list below, are the names of the nations which do not have a dedicated Indian Embassy to cater to their individual needs:
- Somalia
- Liberia
- Nicaragua and Costa Rica
- Uruguay and Paraguay
- Bolivia
- Ecuador
- Lesotho
- Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde
- Burundi
- Benin and Chad
- Central African Republic and Gabon
- El Salvador and Honduras
- Dominican Republic and Haiti
- Estonia
- Albania and Moldova
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Solomon Islands
- Cook Islands, Tonga, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
- Taiwan
- Lichtenstein
- Comoros
- Swaziland
- Eritrea
- Antigua & Barbuda and St. Kitts & Nevis
- Barbados, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent & Grenadines
With that in mind, observers and experts who are involved in India’s diplomatic apparatus have suggested that India must look at new ways of strengthening its ties with such nations. An important step would be approving legislations which allow India to make use of non-resident ambassadors.
