NEW DELHI, June 27: Indian Foreign Minister Kunwar Natwar Singh said on Monday that New Delhi’s ongoing dialogue with Pakistan looked promising. He also offered to consider unilateral steps to help remove lingering misgivings in the region. Mr Singh told a Chatham House meeting in London of problems that dogged the seven-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), but added that India was keen to help remove them.
“India’s neighbourhood and look east policy, pragmatic and fortified with a blend of political sagacity and economic confidence, is helping prevail over old misgivings in the region,” he said. His remarks were released here by the Indian foreign ministry.
“Our composite dialogue with Pakistan shows promise. India will even take unilateral measures where necessary, to direct the building of a strongly interconnected subcontinent, and thus promote the well-being of this quarter of humanity.”
He did not indicate the kind of unilateral steps he had in mind, but said: “Given our size and resources, we recognise that India has a special responsibility in switching on the engine of South Asian prosperity. Economic progress would also yield complementary political benefits. We know it is a complex process, but we will stay engaged.” Saarc was formed eighteen years ago, but it is only in the last two years that we have come together with an economic and social agenda of some purpose, Mr Singh said. “Problems do exist, but leaders should not contemplate problems; they should find solutions.”
Expanding links with the economies of South East Asia, and with Japan, China, and South Korea, could create a community of Asian dynamism, one that augments our capabilities and multiplies our prospects. The East Asian summit, to be held later this year, will articulate our common purpose and ambitions.
Mr Singh said British Prime Minister Tony Blair would visit New Delhi in September for the 6th India-EU Summit. With the US, India has a strategic partnership that spans a wide range of cooperative endeavour. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be making an official visit to the United States next month and addressing a joint session of Congress.
“Our relations with the US have never been better. With Russia, we have broad ranging cooperation and have embarked on major programmes on energy security. Russia is helping us build a civilian nuclear power plant and we are investing in Russian oilfields.
