Hardeep Singh Puri, Strasbourg, 2011 For the prime minister, Narendra Modi, Balochistan is not a flash in the pan. Ending a hands-off policy that has been in place for several years now, India is on the threshold of a significant re-engagement with Syria, Iraq and Lebanon: the first two of these three countries have a huge reservoir of goodwill for New Delhi. Ansari was Puri's predecessor several times removed, of course, as permanent representative to the United Nations in New York. Jaitley was leader in the Rajya Sabha of an Opposition that opposed the then United Progressive Alliance government's votes in the security council on Libya and Syria. In fact Mr. Walid Muallem, the Foreign Minister of Syria visited India in January this year and met the External Affairs Minister.

Source: The Telegraph August 23, 2016 21:44 UTC