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The foundations of India's foreign policy were laid during the freedom
movement when our leaders, even when fighting for independence, were
engaged with the great causes of the time. The principles of India's
foreign policy, that emerged then, have stood the test of time: a
belief in friendly relations with all countries of the world, the
resolution of conflicts by peaceful means, the sovereign equality of
all states, independence of thought and action as manifested in the
principles of Non-alignment, and equity in the conduct of international
relations.
Under the
leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, India was the founder member of the
Non-aligned Movement. India has played an active role in strengthening
the Movement and making it an effective voice in representing the
collective aspirations and interests of the developing countries on
such vital issues as development, peace and stability. India hosted the
7th NAM Summit in New Delhi in 1983. In recent years, after the end of
the Cold War, our foreign policy has been focused on strengthening the
Movement by redefining its priorities in keeping with the changing
times.
India has also been in the forefront of the world community in the
struggle against colonialism. Indeed, the Independence of India itself
played the role of a catalyst in removing the vestiges of colonialism
in other parts of the developing world, particularly in Africa. India
was also the first country to raise the question of racial
discrimination in South Africa in 1946. It was at India's initiative
that the AFRICA (Action for Resistance to Invasion, Colonialism and
Apartheid) Fund was set up at the 8th NAM Summit in Harare in 1986.
India was the Chairman of the AFRICA Fund Committee, which wound up in
1993.
A notable feature of Indian foreign policy has been its strong advocacy
of general and complete disarmament, with nuclear disarmament being
accorded the highest priority. Towards this end, India has taken
several initiatives within the United Nations and outside. In 1988,
India presented to the 3rd Session of the UN General Assembly devoted
to Disarmament an Action Plan for Ushering in a Nuclear Weapons Free
and Non-Violent World Order. In order to highlight international
concern about the unprecedented nuclear arms race, India was also a
member of the Six-Nation Five-Continent joint Initiative in the 1980s.
But while India has remained committed to nuclear disarmament, to be
achieved in a time-bound framework, it has consistently and in a
principled manner opposed such discriminatory treaties as the Nuclear
non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty (CTBT) and has refused to give up its nuclear options until all
countries in the world including nuclear weapon states embrace the idea
of nuclear disarmament in a phased manner.
As a founder member of the United Nations, India has been firmly
committed to the purposes and principles of the United Nations and has
made significant contributions to its various activities, including
peace-keeping operations. India has been a participant in all its
peace-keeping operations including those in Korea, Egypt and Congo in
earlier years and in Somalia, Angola and Rwanda in recent years. India
has also played an active role in the deliberations of the United
Nations on the creation of a more equitable international economic
order. It has been an active member of the Group of 77, and later the
core group of the G-15 nations. Other issues, such as environmentally
sustainable development and the promotion and protection of human
rights, have also been an important focus of India's foreign policy in
international forums.
Commensurate with national interests and security, the improvement of
bilateral relations is an important component of any foreign policy,
and India has succeeded in establishing a network of mutually
beneficial relations with all countries of the world.
In particular, the improvement of relations with our neighbors has
always been one of the pillars of India's foreign policy. India played
an historic and unique role in the liberation of Bangladesh which
emerged as a sovereign nation in 1971. Through the implementation of
the 1964 and 1974 Agreements, the issues of the stateless people of
Indian origin in Sri Lanka were resolved. In 1988, India helped
preserve the integrity of Maldives by coming to the assistance of that
country and preventing an attempted take over by armed mercenaries. The
Indian government has taken recent initiatives to further strengthen
ties with our neighbors, which have won international appreciation.
These initiatives are based on five clear principles: First, with
neighbors like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, India
does not ask for reciprocity but gives all that it can in good faith
and trust. Secondly, no South Asian country should allow its territory
to be used against the interests of another country of the region.
Thirdly, none will interfere in the internal affairs of another.
Fourthly, all South Asian countries must respect each other's
territorial integrity and sovereignty. And finally, they should settle
all their disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiations.
These tenets have paid rich dividends. A landmark Treaty has been
signed with Bangladesh on the sharing of waters of the Ganga. With
Bhutan and Nepal, major projects of economic collaboration have been
advanced. Our relations with Sri Lanka have shown steady improvement.
With Pakistan, India ha consistently pursued a policy seeking to
improve relations under the framework of the Simla Agreement signed in
1972 which provided for the resolution of outstanding issues peacefully
and bilaterally and for establishing durable peace in the
Sub-continent. Bilateral discussions with Pakistan have resumed
recently and India would continue efforts to have good neighborly
relations with Pakistan.
An important achievement of India's foreign policy has been the
strengthening of regional co-operation. India is an active member of
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which was
launched in December 1985. With India's full support, SAARC has
recently taken significant steps in accelerating the pace of economic
co-operation. The South Asian Preferential Trade Arrangement (SAPTA)
became operational in December 1995. At the 9th SAARC Summit in Male in
May 1997, which was chaired by India, a historical decision has also
been taken to strive for a South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) latest
by the year 2001 AD. The emergence of the Indian Ocean Rim Association
for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ARC) in March 1997, as a major
instrument of cooperation in the larger region, has also had the active
support of India.
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 South
East Asia. In 1947, India organized the Asian Relations Conference. It
chaired the International Control Commission in 1954 and was a major
player in the organization of the Bandung Conference in 1955. Today,
India is implementing a 'Look East' policy which is underpinned by
important economic considerations. Some significant steps in the
pursuance of this policy have been taken with the admission of India as
a full dialogue partner of ASEAN and a member of the ASEAN Regional
Forum, in 1996.
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