India tells Pakistan action on terrorism most important CBM

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today said Pakistan had been told that credible and effective action by it on India's terrorism-related concerns, including the investigations and trial in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, would be the most important confidence-building measure (CBM) between the two countries.

Inaugurating the 3rd Conference of Indian Heads of Mission (HOMs) here this morning, Mr Krishna said security represented a vital cluster of India's foreign policy priority.

"Our interests lie in a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood. We believe that dialogue can address all outstanding issues, and have seen from 2004-07 the potential of such a process with Pakistan," he said.

He said that, given the complexities of its relationship with Pakistan, India had advocated a step-by-step, graduated approach.

Mr Krishna said that, in the context of India's pursuit of prosperity and cooperation in the neighbourhood, he could not overemphasise that its commitment to discharging its responsibilities in SAARC in an asymmetrical and non-reciprocal manner had revitalised the grouping in recent years.

As many as 119 Indian Ambassadors and High Commissioners from all over the world are attending the three-day conference.

Mr Krishna commended the Indian diplomats for functioning abroad in alien, often difficult, and sometimes harsh and adverse conditions, in volatile and even violent zones, with professionalism and commitment.

He underlined that the aspirations of the "aam aadmi" in India, the common man, should remain at the core of foreign policy oriented to providing an external enabling environment for the country’s transformation through inclusive economic growth.

"External prerequisites for sustained high economic growth over medium to long term include more foreign investment, and meeting our growing energy needs. The agreements that India has concluded in the recent past in the field of civil nuclear energy, and the Nuclear Liability Bill represent fruits of such efforts," he said.

The Minister said India was rapidly evolving the economic content of its growing partnerships, including those with industrialized nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and Germany. Of particular relevance in this regard will be the country's Look East policy which is aimed at further developing its multi-faceted relations with South East Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, he said.

He mentioned two important initiatives which India had vigorously pursued and which crossed important milestones yesterday: the South Asian University began its first academic session and Parliament passed the Nalanda University Bill.

"Over the years, India’s development cooperation has emerged as an important component of our foreign policy. Our partners appreciate that India’s contributions to their well-being emanate not from a state of affluence or surpluses. Our small development projects represent an innovation both in terms of targeting and delivery model," he said.

Mr Krishna said India was successfully replicating this approach in several countries, even as international development institutions have commended this model.

India’s projects in Africa, such as the prestigious Rs.540-crore Pan-African e-Network project, help achieve e-connectivity in the important fields of tele-education and tele-medicine and hold enormous promise, he said.

He said the Indian diaspora was an important aspect of the responsibility of the Indian Missions abroad. He said estimates suggested that India would be the largest contributor to the world’s workforce —around 136 million people — over the next ten years. Indian investments and business are today creating or protecting a significant number of jobs in Europe and America, he pointed out.

Welcoming the High Commissioners and Ambassadors, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said they represented a transforming and transformational India.

She said the country’s economy was resilient enough to register one of the highest economic growth rates in the world even in the midst of the global financial crisis. The fact that a majority of India's population was under 25 years of age gave it an empowering advantage, she said.

Ms Rao said India had always attached high priority to the development of close ties with the countries in its neighbourhood, based on the fundamental principles of equality and mutual respect and mutual sensitivity to each other’s concerns.

It was the country's responsibility to meet the challenges of managing a complicated and sensitive relationship with its neighbours in a mature and balanced manner, she said.

The Foreign Secretary also pointed out that India was today a member of an increasing number of multilateral, regional and bilateral arrangements, including NAM, G-77 and G-15 on the one hand and recent initiatives like G-20, G-4, BRIC, IBSA, BASIC and EAS on the other.

"It is this quantum jump in the levels of our global engagement that has given us our greatest opportunities while at the same time presenting to us some significant challenges," she said.

India’s growing international profile had brought new responsibilities and challenges in the transaction of diplomacy and an organisational complexity that was redefining the traditional role of a Head of Mission, she added.

Home Minister P Chidambaram spoke to the gathering on India's security environment and challenges as well as about the multi-pronged strategy adopted by his Ministry to counter the challenges.

Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur and National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon also addressed the conference. In the evening, the diplomats attended an interactive session organised by CII where they had an exchange of views with Indian industrialists.

NNN