Raising India's Lusophone profile

CONSTANTINO XAVIER, fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses states that in the wake of Goa's successful bid to launch the 3rd Lusophony Games in 2013, India had to recognize the Anglophone bias in its foreign policy and consider upgrading India's diplomatic engagement with the Portugese-speaking Lusophone world comprising of eight countries with growing economic and strategic influence. In a brief for IDSA Comment, "Portuguese-speaking countries: a new niche for Indian foreign policy?", he calls for India to diversify its foreign policy by expanding its profile within the Lusophone world, upgrade its relationship with the Community of Portugese Language Countries (CPLP) to that of associate observer status, host a regular Goa-based India-CPLP dialogue, and further build Goa as a  venue for training programs conducted in Portugese for Lusophone countries.