EXPLAINED: The Case Of PM Modi’s ‘Car Diplomacy’ With Global Leaders

In a growing diplomatic trend, PM Modi’s shared car rides with global leaders highlight a personal approach to diplomacy beyond formal protocol.

Ethiopia: During his Ethiopia visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was received at Addis Ababa airport by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The arrival followed a similar gesture a day earlier, when Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II personally drove the Indian prime minister, sparking what is now being seen as a trend of ‘car diplomacy’. 

As per the reports, Modi and Abiy Ahmed also made an unplanned stop at the Science Museum and Friendship Park before heading to the hotel scheduled for the prime minister’s stay.

What This Gesture Serves 

The gestures reflect a mark of high regard and point to an emerging style of personal diplomacy seen in PM Modi’s recent interactions with global leaders.

Seen as a mark of special respect, these gestures underline a growing trend of personal diplomacy in PM Modi’s engagements with foreign dignitaries.

The moves signal notable respect and highlight a developing pattern of personal diplomacy in PM Modi’s recent meetings with international leaders.

Viewed as a sign of high-level regard, the gestures also underscore a new phase of personal diplomacy in PM Modi’s interactions with foreign counterparts.

The Rise Of ‘Car Diplomacy’ In Global Engagements

The idea of ‘car diplomacy’ first drew attention earlier this year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled together for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China. Months later, PM Modi departed from protocol by personally receiving Putin at Palam Airport during the Russian leader’s two-day visit to India.

The two leaders then drove together in a white Toyota Fortuner to the prime minister’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, where Putin later attended a private dinner.

A comparable gesture followed during PM Modi’s rare visit to Jordan, when Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II personally drove him to the Jordan Museum in Amman. Photographs shared by the prime minister on social media platform X showed the 75-year-old leader seated in the passenger seat of the 31-year-old prince’s BMW.

The latest instance of this personalised diplomatic outreach was seen during PM Modi’s visit to Ethiopia, where he was not only welcomed at the airport by the Ethiopian prime minister but also driven by him to the hotel.