Indias Proximity Archives
South Asia
India’s Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi visited Sri Lanka on January 7-8. He conferred with key military and governmental figures, including the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, the Deputy Minister of Defence, and the Defence Secretary, addressing topics such as cooperative training, capacity enhancement, defence education, and regional security matters. He also provided the Sri Lanka Army with defence equipment. Meanwhile, during an interview with journalists, India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, stated that India is awaiting Sri Lanka’s response to the proposition for a comprehensive project report on land connectivity between the two nations, which was originally suggested by Sri Lanka.
Southeast Asia
The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is poised for a landslide victory in Myanmar after the completion of the second stage of elections on January 11, 2026; an exercise the United Nations has condemned as a “sham,” lacking credibility in the absence of genuine opposition. The outcome is hardly a surprise given the heavily skewed political landscape, marked by the elimination of serious rivals and restrictive laws designed to suppress dissent. The extent to which the playing field was tilted in its favour included the removal of any serious rivals and a set of laws designed to stifle opposition to the polls. While the junta insists that the polls will usher in political stability and a brighter future, the process remains tightly controlled under its staggered electoral framework, with the final phase of voting scheduled for January 25, when it claims power will be returned to the people.
East Asia
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung travelled to Japan for the Japan-South Korea Summit from January 12–13. The visit was one of several bilateral visits that form part of the shuttle diplomacy framework between Japan and South Korea. The two leaders met in Nara, the hometown of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, to discuss deepening security and economic ties. The talks focused on issues of mutual interest, including industrial supply chains, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and deeper coordination with their mutual ally, the US. Takaichi emphasised the importance of Japan–South Korea relations and called for the need to strengthen trilateral cooperation between Japan, the ROK and the US. Lee, who had been on a state visit to China a week earlier, commented on the China-Japan spat, calling it undesirable for regional peace, and clarified that Seoul would not involve itself in the ongoing row.
West Asia
Anti-government demonstrations continued in Iran with reports indicating hundreds killed and thousands arrested across the country. On January 13, US President Donald Trump urged “Iranian patriots to take over their country's institutions” and promised US assistance for the same. The US has announced an additional 25 percent tariff on countries that trade with Iran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei warned the US and European countries that their treacherous plot to destabilise Iran will fail. Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the diplomats of France, Germany, Italy, and the UK to protest their governments’ support for the US and Israel-backed riots in the country.
Central Asia
On January 13, two oil tankers bound for the Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal—responsible for handling nearly 80 percent of Kazakhstan’s oil exports—were struck by drones in the Black Sea near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). The CPC pipeline is a critical artery, transporting Kazakh crude oil through Russia to the Novorossiysk marine terminal for global export. While responsibility for the attack has not been officially confirmed, analysts suggest Kyiv may be targeting Russian energy infrastructure as part of its broader strategy to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. This incident follows a January 12 strike on three Russian oil drilling platforms in the Caspian Sea and a November 29 strike, when a Ukrainian drone damaged one of the CPC terminal’s three main moorings at Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka.
Indian Ocean Region
On January 10, the joint maritime exercise codenamed “Will for Peace 2026” began at the Port of Simon’s Town in Cape Town, South Africa, with participation from China, Russia, Iran and South Africa. Under the theme of "Joint Actions to Ensure the Safety of Key Shipping Lanes and Maritime Economic Activities", participants will conduct counter-terrorism and rescue operations, anti-sea strikes, and other activities such as professional exchanges and on-board tours. The exercise, scheduled from January 9 to 16 in the waters and airspace off Simon's Town, consists of two main phases. The port and shore operations phase (from January 9 to 12) is followed by the sea phase (from January 13 to 15), during which the participating vessels will conduct drills on communication, formation manoeuvre, maritime strike, hijacked vessel rescue, helicopter-borne patient transfer and treatment, and other subjects.
