Putin, Jordan Crown Prince and Ethiopian PM: The case of PM Modi's 'car diplomacy'
These gestures serve as a symbol of significant respect and a new trend in personal diplomacy, which has been highlighted in recent engagements.
During his visit to Ethiopia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally received by Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at the Addis Ababa airport. This latest car ride comes a day after the prime minister was driven around by Jordan's crown prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II, and has set off the new trend of 'car diplomacy'.
As reported by news agency PTI, the two leaders of the country also made an unscheduled stop at the Science Museum and Friendship Park before the hotel where PM Modi was scheduled to stay.
These gestures serve as a symbol of significant respect and a new trend in personal diplomacy, which has also been highlighted in recent engagements between PM Modi and foreign dignitaries.
Also Read | PM Modi conferred with Ethiopia's highest honour, dedicates award to ‘people of India’
The curious case of 'car diplomacy'
The trend of 'car diplomacy' kicked off after PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin rode together for their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, earlier this year.
A few months after the SCO car ride, PM Modi broke protocol and personally received Vladimir Putin at Palam Airport during the Russian president's two-day visit to India.
Putin travelled with the prime minister in the back seat of a white Toyota Fortuner to his residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, where he attended a private dinner.
Also Read | Modi receives Putin at airport as Russian president makes 1st India visit since Ukraine war
A similar gesture was seen during the prime minister's rare visit to Jordan, where he was driven around by Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II to the Jordan Museum in Amman.
In the pictures shared by PM Modi on social media platform X, the 75-year-old leader was seen in the passenger seat of the 31-year-old prince's BMW car.
WATCH | Jordan Crown Prince drives PM Modi in another instance of ‘car diplomacy’
The latest show of 'car diplomacy' comes during PM Modi's visit to Ethiopia, where not only was he personally received by the Ethiopian prime minister, but was also driven to his hotel by the leader.
