Foreign Relations

CALL FOR SECURITY THROUGH COOPERATION

SINGAPORE: India, China and Pakistan joined several other Asian countries on June 22 in endorsing a commitment to resolve disputes through dialogue.

"Asian nations should resolve their disputes or discords through dialogue, with a view to preserving peace and security through cooperation," they said in a declaration issued in the Chinese city of Qingdao at the end of a two-day regional conference.

The External Affairs Minister, K. Natwar Singh, and the Chinese Foreign Minister, Li Zhaoxing, besides the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, and the Japanese Foreign Minister, Yoriko Kawaguchi, were among leaders from 22 countries who participated in the latest round of Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).

The ‘Declaration on Asian Cooperation’ which they adopted, affirmed a collective commitment to intensify political dialogue and enhance mutual trust." The strategic resonance of this formulation for countries such as India, Pakistan and China was quite conspicuous.

In his address to the conference, the Chinese Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, said Beijing would never seek hegemony and that disputes with historical origins should be settled through dialogue.

The ACD group’s endorsement of the principle of "security through cooperation" in the political and military domains was matched by its collective pledge to cooperate, on a "voluntary" basis, to usher in "energy security" in the region.

Issued as the ‘Qingdao Initiative’, the document on energy security outlined various avenues for possible cooperation, including the exploration of "the potential for new energy reserves in Asia through consultation among interested parties." Exploitation of such reserves was also suggested.

Of particular interest to India and Pakistan was the ACD group’s endorsement of voluntary cooperation, consistent with "national interests," in "the construction of oil and gas pipelines."

Shri Natwar Singh held "substantive discussions" with his counterparts from several countries, including China and Pakistan, according to official sources.

 

INDIA FOR STRONG TIES WITH ASEAN SINGAPORE: The External Affairs Minister, K. Natwar Singh, on 1 July assured the Indonesian President, Smt. Megawati Sukarnoputri, of India’s "commitment to further strengthen relations with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Indonesia currently holds the ASEAN Chair. Shri Singh conveyed this message to Smt. Megawati in "a warm and friendly conversation" in Jakarta, ahead of 11th Annual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), according to the External Affairs Ministry spokesman, Shri Navtej Sarna. Shri Singh, who called on Smt. Megawati, along with the Foreign Ministers of the other dialogue-partners of the ASEAN, assured her of India’s commitment to strong ties with Indonesia as well. Shri Singh held a hectic round of consultations with the Foreign Ministers of Russia, Canada, New Zealand, Mongolia and top European Union officials. The discussions centred, by and large, on bilateral aspects as also current regional and international issues. Sergei Lovrov of Russia and Shri Singh carried out a "detailed review" of the India-Russia "strategic partnership" and they "looked at the calendar of events" on the bilateral front between now and the annual summit later this year. The other subjects covered included the issues before the United Nations for the later part of this year and the general situation in Europe at this time. With the European Union’s top officials, Chris Patten and Javier Solana, Shri Singh discussed key international issues such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Shri Singh presented an "overview" of India’s assistance for reconstruction activities in Afghanistan.