Courtesy: https://www.mea.gov.in/distinguished-lectures-detail.htm?78
I would like to warmly and sincerely thank the Public Diplomacy Wing of the External Publicity Division of MEA and IIT, Jodhpur for the kind invitation to be with you and for facilitating my visit to this young and prestigious Institution. I am deeply honoured and privileged to be here to address you.
I will speak to you on ‘’Indian Foreign Policy: Challenges and Opportunities’’.
I will begin my Presentation by speaking briefly about the essential elements and determinants of India’s Foreign Policy. I will briefly touch upon changes that have taken place on the international scene over the last decade or so as also how the world views India today. Thereafter I will address myself to some of our more important bilateral relations in addition to some significant themes that engage our attention today. I look forward to your questions and comments after my Presentation on any issue that I have addressed or even those that I might not have touched upon due to paucity of time.
It would be useful to remember that the foremost task of India’s foreign policy is to enable the domestic transformation of India. It is to ensure security from external aggression, inviolability and integrity of its borders as well as prosperity for the people of India. Foreign Policy serves as an enabler to meet the demands and aspirations of our people while at the same time ensuring peace and security on our borders. Our foreign policy seeks the transformation of our economy and society while promoting our values of pluralism, democracy and secularism. This requires us to work for a supportive external environment that is peaceful, thus enabling us to concentrate on our growth and development. At the broadest level, our foreign policy seeks security and support from the international community as we build and transform our society and economy. In the sixty years since its inception, our foreign policy has evolved. It has adjusted to meet new challenges and unprecedented crisis situations, as well as risen to meet the needs of intensified economic engagement with the world – an engagement that is designed to meet the needs of an increased inflow of capital, technology, ideas and innovation for our development and our re-emergence as one of the world’s leading economies. As the globe continues to shrink, impelled by unrelenting technological advances and information implosion, the canvas inevitably grows ever bigger and wider.
Lord Palmerston of England once said ‘’There are no permanent friends, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests’’. This is particularly true for conducting a country’s foreign policy. At times the greatest challenge is to determine the permanent interests that motivate and inspire a country to act in a particular manner. It might be easy to identify our interests in a broad, macro context but application of this principle in any specific case or context could differ widely. It also needs to be remembered that morals, ideals, ethics and principles need to be meshed with considerations of practicality and realpolitik. Policy based either only on morality or ethics or only on short term practical considerations is more likely to become unsustainable and unworkable in the medium and long term.
At this stage it would be useful to briefly recapitulate the remarkable changes that have occurred over the last decade or so on the international scene. The first aspect I would place in this category is the advent of globalisation which has not only brought down barriers to movement of goods, capital, technology, people and investments across international borders but has also significantly promoted the exchange of thoughts, ideas, experiences and views amongst people in the world. This has made our world much more inter-dependent than has been the case anytime in the past. Globalisation has been accompanied by the advent of multi-polarity. Gone are the days of bipolarity when USA and the Soviet Union were the most powerful and influential nations in the world. Gone also are the days of a single power viz the USA holding unchallenged sway over international affairs. The last 10 years have seen emergence of several poles of power and significance which exert considerable influence on events and developments in different parts of the world. These changes have been accompanied by the rise of terrorism which is the worst scourge to have afflicted humanity ever in its long and tortuous history. The next significant determining aspect of developments over the last decade I would say is the sudden and unexpected onslaught of the international economic crisis. This started from the USA in 2007 but which rolled over into the euro sovereign debt crisis in Europe two years later. This is the worst global crisis to have hit the world since the great Depression of the late 1920s. It brought most of the international economies particularly those of the west to their knees. We are yet to see the end of it. An accompanying though not necessarily related aspect I would like to mention is the rise of Asia. Economic centre of gravity is surely shifting towards Asia making several analysts and observers to call the 21st century as the Asian Century. The jury is still out as to how the next few decades will turn out but there can be no denying the fact that the first decade of the century has seen a rapid and unprecedented rise of Asian economies, not only of China and India but also of Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea and others. At the end I will refer to the rise of technology, increased use of internet, the rapid growth of social media.
India has also undergone a remarkable transformation over the last two decades. Before looking at some specific changes within the country, it will be useful to recount the manner in which the world perceives India today. The first and foremost defining aspect of India today is that it continues to be a democracy notwithstanding the huge diversity and disparity that prevails in the country. India became independent after the Second World War along with a large number of other countries. The generally accepted wisdom then was that democracy and poverty cannot co-exist together. That democracy and inequitable distribution of wealth don’t go together. This theory was proved right by most countries that started out as democracies after breaking off from the colonial yoke but very soon descended into depths of autocratic or authoritarian rule or military dictatorships. You can look around and will observe that from Latin America to the Middle East, from Africa to Asia this hypothesis was proved correct. The one solitary and brightly shining exception to this rule is India. As you know India was rendered poor as a result of 200 years of colonial rule. Before that for much of the period, India accounted for around 25%of the world’s GDP. The colonial servitude had also made the distribution of wealth heavily skewed and inequitable. India started out as a democracy after independence and its vibrancy and dynamism has continued to grow with the passage of time. One of the essential features of a democratic system is the conduct of elections and as you are aware, this year 814 million people are expected to exercise their franchise in a largely peaceful, free, fair and transparent process to elect a Government which will seamlessly and smoothly assume power after the results are announced on 16th May. The enormity of the exercise can be judged from the fact that the size of the Indian electorate is more than the total population of the whole of European Union comprising of 28 countries and the United States of America put together.
The second aspect regarding India that amazes the world is its diversity. And this is true not only in terms of its religious plurality which in itself is quite unique and remarkable. There is no other country in the world that is the birthplace of four major religions of the world. Hinduism was born more than 5,000 years ago on this soil. Budhism and Jainism appeared about 2,500 years ago. Sikhism, the latest entrant was born about 500 years ago. All the other major religions of the world also came to this land and were warmly and enthusiastically embraced and accepted. Christianity appeared in 57 AD when St Thomas landed on the shores of Kerala to preach the gospel of the Lord. He was warmly received by the rulers of the time and provided with all facilities and support to carry out his Mission. Other religions also came at different times and have flourished and blossomed in the country on account of the keen and ardent welcome given to them..
India’s plurality and composite culture is also reflected in the wide range and multiplicity of languages, music, art, dance, literature, cuisine, costumes, traditions, practices, beliefs and faiths that peacefully and happily co-exist and adorn our land. Many countries, several of them in the recent past, have broken asunder as they have not been able to deal with their diversity in terms of language or culture or ethnicity or religion. India on the other hand has not only survived but on the contrary has flourished and prospered and grown in the rainbow of hues. Our diversity has emerged as our strength.
The next distinctive feature I would like to emphasise is India’s youthful population, also called as ‘’India’s demographic dividend’’. More than 50% of India’s population is comprised of young people below the age of 25 years. India’s median age is around 26 years. While the whole world from USA to China, from Europe to Japan is greying and getting older, India will continue to benefit from the ‘’demographic advantage’’ at least for the next 30 years and more. There is both empirical as well as theoretical evidence to prove that countries blessed with the youth bulge can expect high rates of economic growth for several decades. India hence stands at the threshold of a rapid growth in its economy provided it can improve its governance, ensure that right policies are adopted and implemented and also that appropriate facilities in terms of physical and social infrastructure like roads, ports, education, skill development, health care etc are made available to our young, motivated and ambitious population. The happy news is that all political parties are fully seized of the importance of these issues which are likely to receive their topmost attention whichever Government assumes office next month.
The final defining element that I would like to suggest for your consideration is India’s economic growth and development over the last 2 decades and the promise and potential of its huge market and innovative capability over the coming years. Notwithstanding the somewhat lacklustre economic performance over the last 2 years, India has the potential to grow at 8-9% if the right policies are put in place. Our Savings rate is around 32%; our investment rate is also in the similar range; our inward remittances are the highest in the world at around USD 70 billion per annum.
The extraordinary changes of the last two decades are fundamentally transforming India’s economy and society. The consistent high economic growth in this period has not only helped empower a large number of our citizens but has also led to increased engagement of India with the outside world. If we can maintain high growth rates, leverage that growth to enhance the capabilities of our citizens, and maintain robust democratic traditions and institutions, there are few limits to India’s global role and influence. Our economic growth requires deepened economic engagement with the outside world at all levels: trade, labour, technology and ideas. And India now has an increasing range of interests, which are anchored in different parts of the world and which stem from a wide range of factors: for instance, the need to secure energy and other vital natural resources; the imperative of maintaining open shipping lanes; the imperative of seeking investments and trade opportunities overseas; the need to secure trade access, and so on.
At the same time, spurred by advances in technology and global communications, we have witnessed emergence of new opportunities, enhanced productivity and higher living standards across the world. People across remote corners of our planet can be in touch with each other in real time, thanks to the rapid and dramatic developments in internet technologies. Developments in distant places, which once took time to impact other parts of the world, are now known almost instantaneously. Technology and social media is empowering people and one example of that change is how events relating to the Arab Spring were triggered some years ago.
The very same processes of globalization and technological revolution that have brought with them so many benefits to the world have also exposed our collective vulnerability. The benefits of globalization have been uneven and new challenges have been thrown up like growing inequity and inequality across and within nations, volatility in the financial market and environmental deterioration; and groups of radicals, extremists, hackers, pirates and terrorists have sought to utilize new technologies to gain asymmetrical advantage. The new global order is as yet not fully formed.
Our strategic goals as I mentioned earlier are basically to enable the domestic transformation of India by accelerated growth and a strategic autonomy that safeguards the national interest at all times in this overall global context. These goals will not change for a long time. But this does not mean that India is going to be insular or inward looking. On the contrary, our engagement with the world has accelerated and grown exponentially over the last few years. We have benefitted from our integration into the global economy since the 1990s. And this engagement is only bound to grow as India actively pursues its interests in the world and remains ready to contribute within her capacity. We want to maintain an open global order at many different levels. Our vision of a secular, pluralistic and tolerant society within the country, embracing a multiplicity and diversity of opinions and outlook, is sought to be articulated in our dealings with the world.
Against this background let me briefly elaborate some of the main priority areas of focus for our foreign policy.
In terms of geography, India's foreign policy has always regarded the concept of neighborhood as one of widening concentric circles, around a central axis of historical and cultural commonalties. From this point of view, it has always given due priority to the development of relations with the countries of Asia. An article of steadfast faith in our foreign policy has been to ensure a peaceful, secure and stable neighbourhood, so as to safeguard peace, security and development within our own borders and it is with this perspective that India is developing a mutually beneficial relationship with all her neighbours. In South Asia, India has been driven by the vision of encouraging regional integration to bring about peace and prosperity for the more than one and a half billion people living in this region. As part of this vision, this geography of hope, we have been implementing a policy of asymmetric engagement in providing greater market access to our neighbours, which enables regional integration in a mutually beneficial manner. We understand very well, that we cannot be insulated from our neighbourhood; our growth and prosperity has a beneficial impact on the rest of the region, and increasingly, we will have to build closer connectivities in trade, communications and other networks of interaction between ourselves and our neighbours.
China is our closest and largest neighbor. We share a border of around 4,000 kms with China. An oft repeated axiom states that large countries that neighbor each other can never be fully at peace with one another. This is true of USA and Canada, China and Russia, Brazil and Argentina, France and Germany and several others. This is true of India and China also. China is a unique case because it has the largest population in the world with a rapidly expanding economy which is likely to outstrip the US economy by the end of the decade if not earlier to become the largest economy in the world. China’s emergence as one of the pre-eminent powers in the international system has immense consequences for India because of a host of factors, like geographical proximity; historical memories; the unresolved border dispute; the presence of Dalai Lama in India; the Tibet question; Chinese military modernization; uncertainties regarding Chinese intentions; its relation with India’s neighbors, especially Pakistan; the potential expansion of China’s maritime power into the Indian Ocean; growing economic inter-dependence between the two countries; its string of pearls strategy, sharing of river waters; issuance of stapled visas to Indian citizens of J&K; denial of visas to Indian residents of Arunachal Pradesh, and the potential for resource competition in West Asia, Latin America and Africa. In the years ahead, the relationship will continue to be characterized by both competition and cooperation. We have attempted to establish a strategic and cooperative partnership with China. It has emerged as the largest trading partner in goods of India, and our engagement is now multi-faceted. The maintenance of peace and tranquillity on our borders with China, and the quest for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the outstanding boundary question, are areas of crucial importance in our bilateral relationship. Therefore, even as India continues to engage with China to promote better understanding on border management, trade, climate change, global governance and a host of other issues of mutual interest, it needs to put in place a robust strategy to defend its territorial integrity and its interests in the region and the world. India is concerned about China’s economic, military and cyber-war potential, and hopes China will gradually step into the role of a responsible stakeholder in world security. India and the world will judge China's rise not by pronouncements of its intentions but through its actions. Neither India nor China enjoy the luxury of being on antagonistic terms with each other. We must never disregard the fact that China suffers many handicaps and disabilities that are sometimes concealed by its economic rise and ignored by its admirers. It has serious problems with ethnic minorities like the Uigurs and Tibetans. There are challenges of banks riddled with bad loans, finding employment and pensions for a large rapidly ageing workforce, adverse demographic composition on account of a shrinking labour force and fast greying population, social inequality of destabilizing proportions, among the highest in the world. There is simmering dissent among its netizens and civil society. There is rampant corruption at all levels, and environmental degradation. The country has grown to an extraordinary extent over the past three decades, but it may be harder to sustain it and to achieve internal consensus on what comes next.
Engaging Pakistan will be a key challenge for India’s strategy in the foreign and security policy arena in the coming years. Pakistan is undergoing social, political and economic turmoil. It is likely to remain weak, turbulent and troublesome for the foreseeable future notwithstanding the successful elections and smooth change of guard and the positive signals that emanated from PM Nawaz Sharif just after he took over the reins of office. The brutal killings of our soldiers by the Pakistan Army, the repeated cease fire violations at LOC and the bellicose statements emerging from across our western border strongly suggest that we are in for a period of increasing tension, instability and heightened possibility of terrorist and militant attacks engineered and master-minded from across our western frontier. India must prepare itself to deal with the increasing instability in Pakistan. It should keep up its vigilance to anticipate and respond to a range of emergencies that may stem from Pakistan’s weaknesses. Pakistan needs to realise that use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy against India is counter-productive. Pakistan harbours a mistaken impression that it can continue with its support to terrorism without getting affected itself or without resulting in an adverse impact on its international reputation and standing. In fact the rise of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and the perilous state of that country's economy and energy shortages can be attributed directly to Pakistan's support of terrorist operations through its home grown and funded jihadi groups. While preparing to meet any eventuality, India must continue to reinforce its efforts to see Pakistan emerge as a stable, secure and prosperous democracy. India must take advantage of support of opinion makers in Pakistani society for closer economic cooperation by relaxing the ban on investment and granting access to Pakistani goods in Indian markets.
Bangladesh can be termed as a success story of our foreign policy over the last 5 years. Since the advent of Sheikh Hasina government, our relations in the area of security, strategic ties, economy, industry, and investment have soared. It is expected that this positive trend will continue for the next few years since the Sheikh Hasina Government has recently extended its term of office by another 5 years. Bangladesh has been cooperating actively with us to control insurgency in our North Eastern States. This has brought considerable peace to the Region so that the people and the governments in the States can engage themselves for improving living conditions of the people. India however needs to sign the Teesta water sharing Agreement quickly as also to ratify the Agreement for Exchange of Enclaves and Adverse Possessions.
Recent developments in Sri Lanka particularly abstaining by India at the last Resolution of the UN Human Rights Council to set up a Body to investigate the human rights abuses by the SL Security Forces have provided a window of opportunity to make a course correction in our relations and bring them on a more secure, sound and firmer footing.SL is an extremely important neighbor both for our security as well as for our trade and economic interests. China and Pakistan have been fishing in troubled waters as our policy on dealing with this important neighbor has shown signs of wavering and dithering in the recent past on account of the increased involvement of domestic players and political parties of Tamil Nadu in our relations. It is necessary to evolve a national consensus on our relations with this important neighbor. The Bilateral Free Trade Agreement has yielded good dividends for Sri Lanka. It is essential to upgrade it to a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. SL has been dragging its feet over taking this forward on account of the strained political ties.
Looking beyond this immediate neighborhood, we have also been expanding our circles of engagement, starting with South-east Asia, the Indian Ocean region, West Asia, Central Asia, Africa, and the world’s major powers.
Afghanistan is another country in our neighborhood which is of critical importance to us.US and NATO ISAF forces will start their drawdown beginning 2014. In fact the drawdown started in the middle of last year when responsibility for maintaining security all over the country was handed over to the Afghan National Security Forces and the International Security Forces are engaged only in training and special operations. Afghanistan of today is very different from the Afghanistan of 2001. It has a professional and well trained army which is motivated and committed and can stand its own against all attacks of the Taliban. More girls are going to school than have ever before pursued education. Women are getting increasingly and actively involved and engaged in social, educational and professional activities including in governance and assuming leadership positions. The high voter turnout in Presidential Elections on 5th April notwithstanding the threat of disruption and bomb attacks by the Taliban is most impressive and inspiring. Security and economic development are the prerequisite needs of Afghan society today. India has been actively engaged in the stabilisation and growth of Afghanistan over the last 10 years. Our total assistance amounting to more than US $2 billion has been guided by the priorities of the Afghan government and people. We have helped in construction of the Pul-e-Khumri power station and transmission line to Kabul, the strategic Zaranj-Delaram Road, the Parliament building, the Salma dam and several other significant projects like schools, hospitals, roads, training of Afghan Security forces, human resources and skill development etc.. Afghanistan has the potential of becoming a bridge between South Asia and Central Asia and beyond for trade, commerce, connectivity, pipelines, energy etc..India has been in close contact with Regional Powers including Russia, Iran, Central Asia, and China as well as with the Istanbul Process consisting of 18 countries to ensure that peace and economic progress continues in Afghanistan after 2014. India is committed to helping build Afghan institutions and capacities in order to deal with threats of terrorism, religious extremism and other centrifugal tendencies.
Central Asia is a strategically important region for us. It consists of 5 countries with which India has close, warm and friendly relations. However the promise of expansion of our ties which presented itself immediately after their independence on the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 has been belied. One of the important factors for this is the absence of land connectivity between India and these countries. Many of these countries are rich in mineral resources. For instance Kazakhstan is reported to have rich deposits and commercially viable quantities of more than 100 minerals and elements on the Mendeleev Table. RK has the world’s second largest reserves of uranium ore and huge supplies of coal, iron ore, copper, magnesium, gold, oil, gas, titanium, lead, zinc and many more. Turkmenistan has huge supplies of gas. Uzbekistan has copious quantities of gold, uranium, gas, cotton. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have abundant supplies of hydro energy. In addition the strategic location particularly in the context of impending changes in Afghanistan enhances the significance and importance of these countries to India. India launched the Connect Central Asia Policy a few years ago to strengthen and revitalize our partnership with these countries. It needs to be supported and nurtured assiduously and energetically. We need to interest and engage our Private Sector to give greater attention and focus to opportunities of infrastructure projects, joint ventures, internationally aided and funded projects in the fields of roads, transport, telecommunication, power, energy etc..
South East Asia begins with North East India. Myanmar is our land bridge to the countries of the ASEAN. Today, winds of change are blowing through Myanmar. We have welcomed these developments and are working with people and government of Myanmar to help build their capacities.
Through our ‘Look East’ Policy, we have tried to reconnect and reach out in the civilizational space we share with our near neighbours in Southeast Asia since the early 1990s. We are building on our strong bilateral ties, expanding our roles in regional organizations and working to build comprehensive economic partnerships. India and ASEAN have put in place one of the largest free trade agreements on goods. We hope that the early conclusion of a similar Free Trade Agreement in Services and Investments between India and the ASEAN will significantly broaden and deepen this process. We marked the 20th anniversary of commencement of our dialogue partnership with ASEAN in 2012. And, we are adding content to our economic relations with the region through growing strategic and security engagement. We are Members of several Regional Institutions like the ARF, ADMM plus, EAS, ACD and several others. We also share and enjoy and ASEAN plus India Summit relationship with these countries which has energised and re-vitalised our partnership.
I would like to say a few words about Iran. India has consistently said that Iran must cooperate with IAEA to resolve all the outstanding issues about its nuclear program that continue to raise doubts in the minds of the international community. We acknowledge that Iran has the right to utilize the benefits of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. But, this right has to be exercised in conformity with international obligations that Iran has voluntarily undertaken as a non-nuclear weapon state party to NPT. We have maintained that Iran must comply with its obligations, fully and transparently. But, we also hope that these issues are resolved peacefully. The need of the hour is diplomatic drive and creativity to address the situation. In this regard, we feel that it is a positive development that P5+1 and Iran have come to an understanding as a result of which tension between USA and Iran has lessened considerably. It is our hope that all the sides will engage in a constructive and serious manner to find a way forward. This task will not be easy but we do believe that if the parties demonstrate a seriousness of purpose then gradually the issues can be resolved.
Looking beyond Asia, we have tried to build mutually beneficial ties with all the major powers, foremost among which is the United States. As President Obama stated during his visit to India, this will be a defining relationship of the 21st century. Our relationship with the United States is in fact built on our shared values and converging interests. It is based on our fundamental belief that we have mutually beneficial stakes in each other’s success. We have in the last decade, set up a comprehensive architecture of engagement based on broad political support in each of our countries, strong people to people linkages, and an increasing norm and growing habit of cooperation. Over the past ten years, the two governments have put in place a very robust agenda of cooperation for our partnership that is, to quote Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, founded on both "principles and pragmatism”. In the years ahead it should be our joint endeavor to build on this foundation, consolidate on the work that has already been done and implement the initiatives that have been agreed upon to qualitatively improve the relationship.
Cooperation on sustainable economic development will be the bedrock of Indo-US strategic partnership. India is working closely with the US on science and technology, food security, education, health, and development of clean energy technologies and renewable energy. The Indian Diaspora in the US needs to be engaged on a sustained basis to further diversify and cement ties between the two nations. Some events over the last few months have put our bilateral relations in turmoil, on an unsteady and unpredictable course. Both countries need to realize that it is not prudent to make only one issue derail the positive developments in our relations. Both our countries need to focus on our strategic ties and ensure that they are restored to their position of primacy without any further delay.
India enjoys a special and privileged partnership with Russia which is more intense and broad-based than a traditional strategic engagement. Our bilateral ties have successfully withstood the test of all challenges and upheavals over the last 65 years since our independence and have continued to grow from strength to strength. India needs to build on its historical ties to move beyond defense and evolve a partnership that takes advantage of the complementarities in technology, energy and other sectors.
India has much to gain from close cooperation with Europe in matters related to governance, science, energy and defense. India needs to embark on a sustained and simultaneous engagement with major pan-European bodies and individual European governments. Strengthening Indo-European ties will involve greater efforts to boost existing bilateral cooperation and dialogue on security issues including counter terrorism and maritime security. Besides cooperation in science and technology, there are significant synergies in the social realm. India can benefit from cooperation with Europe on matters of regional and local governance, urban management, women empowerment and social welfare.
Outside the bilateral relationships with various countries and groups, there are global issues, which constitute yet another set of challenges that we need to successfully tackle to achieve the outcomes that we desire. These would include ensuring energy security and sustainable development, food security and dealing with issues vital to peace and security such as terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The interlinked issue of energy security and climate change can pose the biggest hurdle in our quest to achieve our social and economic transformation. In addressing our energy requirements, we do not intend to follow the business as usual approach or the conspicuous consumption pattern that may exist in some developed countries. At present our own greenhouse gas emissions are only about 4% of the global level of emissions, even with 17% of global population. We have also set out ambitious goals for increasing the share of solar energy, wind energy, nuclear energy and clean coal technology in our energy mix on the one hand and on the other to improve overall energy efficiency. We have committed to keep the per capita emissions below the average of those in the developed countries and to reduce the emissions intensity of India's GDP by 20 to 25% by 2020 as compared to 2005.
Terrorism continues to pose a threat to international peace and stability. India having been a victim of terrorism for many decades, has worked with the international community to strengthen the international framework to deal with this threat. In the UN for instance we have taken the initiative to pilot the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism or the CCIT, with the objective of providing a comprehensive legal framework to combat terrorism. Given the global nature of the threat we are working with our international partners including the US to tackle the problem. This threat is compounded today given the possibility of intersection between terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We have been affected by clandestine nuclear proliferation in our neighbourhood. Today, India is constructively engaged in international efforts to enhance nuclear security. In the long term such threats can be met by universal and non-discriminatory disarmament - a cause that India has championed for many years.
I have tried to reflect on broad trends and critical issues that we face today and would need to successfully manage. India is proud to play its due role and fulfil its responsibilities as a factor of peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Region and the World.
I will now be happy to take your questions and listen to your comments.
Thank You.
