“The Heads of Mission would transmit the contents containing the official meetings, calls, engagements, functions and events on a weekly basis to the Minister, thus keeping him abreast of the activities of the missions in general and the Heads of mission in particular. This initiative could monitor and appraise the activities of a given Mission, to a reasonable extent. It is vital for any Minister of Foreign Affairs to be in close contact with his envoys. Minister Bogollagama has been maintaining close contact not only with his envoys but also with other diplomatic officers in missions.”__________________________________
Link to Part I
by Dr. Bandula Perera
Utility of economic diplomacy
(March 28, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Economic diplomacy can also be defined as the use of a nation’s political influence and relations to achieve its commercial and economic objectives. One may appreciate the fact that economic diplomacy could be a long term potent instrument for prevention of conflicts, both interstate and intra-state. The formation of and the increasing degree of stability in the 27 member European Union is a manifestation of this premise. Further, Europe had unprecedented economic growth and political stability for the last five decades.
International trade and other areas of international economic relations are increasingly becoming indispensable in the highly competitive world. As a result, if one considers the internal markets of Europe or in the United States and compares them with the level of economic relations between and within other regions of the world, it is a cogent testimony that there are large areas for progress, prosperity and development that could result from efficacious economic diplomacy. One may visualise economic relations as strands interconnecting people, entities, states, regions and countries. These strands or threads are the innumerable transactions, in all aspects, which are by definition voluntary and mutually beneficial. These would lead in evolving long-term relations, thus creating personal trust and dismantling of hostile and destructive economic forces and misperceptions.
On another note, Minister Bogollagama introduced a couple of months after being appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the concept of an electronic diary to be maintained by all Heads of Mission of Sri Lanka. The Heads of Mission would transmit the contents containing the official meetings, calls, engagements, functions and events on a weekly basis to the Minister, thus keeping him abreast of the activities of the missions in general and the Heads of mission in particular. This initiative could monitor and appraise the activities of a given Mission, to a reasonable extent. It is vital for any Minister of Foreign Affairs to be in close contact with his envoys. Minister Bogollagama has been maintaining close contact not only with his envoys but also with other diplomatic officers in missions. Needless to state, close and subtle assessment of Missions and their officers by the Minister would engender a sense of accountability, commitment and affinity.
Challenges at the Ministry
With due deference, it may be noteworthy to state that close coordination and cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant/line ministries and institutions, is central to promote and advance economic diplomacy. In this context, the missions of Sri Lanka based abroad as well as the Ministry could communicate to relevant ministries, institutions and business chambers of the opportunities and specific economic projects. Efficacious orchestration and follow-up of such economic initiatives from the Missions to relevant ministries, institutions and corporates in order to materialise them are vital. Given this situation, the Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may need to play a more proactive and pivotal role. It is always a difficult and even could be a subjective task to assess missions of their role vis-à-vis economic diplomacy. It would be interesting to request the missions to report tangible investments and economic initiatives, be they FDI, FII, infrastructure projects, international joint ventures and promotion of tourism and visits of business delegation to Sri Lanka, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to extract factual performance of the missions with regard to economic diplomacy.
As a corporate executive and professional, I have visited and have been in contact with many of the missions of Sri Lanka in many parts of the world. It is of my considered conviction that economic diplomacy has to be exercised by the respective officers in many a missions with a high degree of commitment, tenacity, suaveness and efficacy as well as in a result-oriented manner. No matter the scale and depth of interest the Minister might have in promoting economic diplomacy it needs to be transmitted to the missions of Sri Lanka abroad and be translated into economic utility. In this endeavour, a number of ministries, institutions and corporates would be engaged but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in general and the particular Mission should play a decisive and lead role.
The profile of the Foreign Service of Sri Lanka may have to be enhanced to attract the very best and the most endowed minds of the country. Today, despite a large number of candidates sitting for the Foreign Service Entrance Examination, highly qualified young men and women with international experience and credentials tend to prefer corporate positions as opposed to the Foreign Service. It is, no doubt, a challenge to any Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise the standards and profile of the Foreign Service to be on par with any foreign service of any country, be it developed or developing.
One could posit that Foreign Service officers and diplomats, in the past, used to be primarily engaged and engrossed in political relations between and among countries because close and strong political relations tend to lead to relations in other areas, including the economic. Today, Foreign Service officers, world over, are engaged in promotion of economic diplomacy. Studies have demonstrated that economic relations are not initiated in a political vacuum, and in such situations there would be lack of trust and confidence. Economic relations function as a "glue" to political relations. Many political leaders have realised that if economic relations were strong and stable, they have a notable impact on political relations and whatever ripples occur in the political realm would get resolved due to economic interests of the countries and their corporates. It would be intriguing to note that during the Cold War, diplomatic success was considered the absence of armed conflicts. Today, this definition has undergone a paradigm change. The diplomatic success of a nation is determined by the scale of interaction through economic and commercial interests to enhance a given country’s economic utility, base and stability in the highly globalized and competitive world.
Any discerning reader would comprehend the ‘bald’ fact that economic diplomacy is too indispensable in the sphere of foreign policy & affairs not to be attached increasing priority. It is heartening to note that the government in general and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in particular pay a greater degree of attention to economic diplomacy. It would be opportune to state that compared to many political leaders, our Foreign Minister does extensively follow-up economic and commercial propositions for them to materialise. Given this premise, it is equally important to have a Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Relations, who is conversant in and conscientious or business, economics and the corporate sector and has proven credentials.
Concluded
- Sri Lanka Guardian
Utility of economic diplomacy
(March 28, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Economic diplomacy can also be defined as the use of a nation’s political influence and relations to achieve its commercial and economic objectives. One may appreciate the fact that economic diplomacy could be a long term potent instrument for prevention of conflicts, both interstate and intra-state. The formation of and the increasing degree of stability in the 27 member European Union is a manifestation of this premise. Further, Europe had unprecedented economic growth and political stability for the last five decades.
International trade and other areas of international economic relations are increasingly becoming indispensable in the highly competitive world. As a result, if one considers the internal markets of Europe or in the United States and compares them with the level of economic relations between and within other regions of the world, it is a cogent testimony that there are large areas for progress, prosperity and development that could result from efficacious economic diplomacy. One may visualise economic relations as strands interconnecting people, entities, states, regions and countries. These strands or threads are the innumerable transactions, in all aspects, which are by definition voluntary and mutually beneficial. These would lead in evolving long-term relations, thus creating personal trust and dismantling of hostile and destructive economic forces and misperceptions.
On another note, Minister Bogollagama introduced a couple of months after being appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the concept of an electronic diary to be maintained by all Heads of Mission of Sri Lanka. The Heads of Mission would transmit the contents containing the official meetings, calls, engagements, functions and events on a weekly basis to the Minister, thus keeping him abreast of the activities of the missions in general and the Heads of mission in particular. This initiative could monitor and appraise the activities of a given Mission, to a reasonable extent. It is vital for any Minister of Foreign Affairs to be in close contact with his envoys. Minister Bogollagama has been maintaining close contact not only with his envoys but also with other diplomatic officers in missions. Needless to state, close and subtle assessment of Missions and their officers by the Minister would engender a sense of accountability, commitment and affinity.
Challenges at the Ministry
With due deference, it may be noteworthy to state that close coordination and cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant/line ministries and institutions, is central to promote and advance economic diplomacy. In this context, the missions of Sri Lanka based abroad as well as the Ministry could communicate to relevant ministries, institutions and business chambers of the opportunities and specific economic projects. Efficacious orchestration and follow-up of such economic initiatives from the Missions to relevant ministries, institutions and corporates in order to materialise them are vital. Given this situation, the Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may need to play a more proactive and pivotal role. It is always a difficult and even could be a subjective task to assess missions of their role vis-à-vis economic diplomacy. It would be interesting to request the missions to report tangible investments and economic initiatives, be they FDI, FII, infrastructure projects, international joint ventures and promotion of tourism and visits of business delegation to Sri Lanka, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to extract factual performance of the missions with regard to economic diplomacy.
As a corporate executive and professional, I have visited and have been in contact with many of the missions of Sri Lanka in many parts of the world. It is of my considered conviction that economic diplomacy has to be exercised by the respective officers in many a missions with a high degree of commitment, tenacity, suaveness and efficacy as well as in a result-oriented manner. No matter the scale and depth of interest the Minister might have in promoting economic diplomacy it needs to be transmitted to the missions of Sri Lanka abroad and be translated into economic utility. In this endeavour, a number of ministries, institutions and corporates would be engaged but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in general and the particular Mission should play a decisive and lead role.
The profile of the Foreign Service of Sri Lanka may have to be enhanced to attract the very best and the most endowed minds of the country. Today, despite a large number of candidates sitting for the Foreign Service Entrance Examination, highly qualified young men and women with international experience and credentials tend to prefer corporate positions as opposed to the Foreign Service. It is, no doubt, a challenge to any Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise the standards and profile of the Foreign Service to be on par with any foreign service of any country, be it developed or developing.
One could posit that Foreign Service officers and diplomats, in the past, used to be primarily engaged and engrossed in political relations between and among countries because close and strong political relations tend to lead to relations in other areas, including the economic. Today, Foreign Service officers, world over, are engaged in promotion of economic diplomacy. Studies have demonstrated that economic relations are not initiated in a political vacuum, and in such situations there would be lack of trust and confidence. Economic relations function as a "glue" to political relations. Many political leaders have realised that if economic relations were strong and stable, they have a notable impact on political relations and whatever ripples occur in the political realm would get resolved due to economic interests of the countries and their corporates. It would be intriguing to note that during the Cold War, diplomatic success was considered the absence of armed conflicts. Today, this definition has undergone a paradigm change. The diplomatic success of a nation is determined by the scale of interaction through economic and commercial interests to enhance a given country’s economic utility, base and stability in the highly globalized and competitive world.
Any discerning reader would comprehend the ‘bald’ fact that economic diplomacy is too indispensable in the sphere of foreign policy & affairs not to be attached increasing priority. It is heartening to note that the government in general and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in particular pay a greater degree of attention to economic diplomacy. It would be opportune to state that compared to many political leaders, our Foreign Minister does extensively follow-up economic and commercial propositions for them to materialise. Given this premise, it is equally important to have a Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Relations, who is conversant in and conscientious or business, economics and the corporate sector and has proven credentials.
Concluded
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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