Press Release

Interview of His Excellency Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister to the Arabic daily “Al-Sharqul Awsat” during his visit to Saudi Arabia  (April 20, 2008)

 1. Kindly give us some details about your program in Riyadh and the talks that you intend to have with Prince Saud Al-Faisal and other senior government officials.

My visit provides an opportunity for an in-depth discussion on wide range of issues of mutual interest pertaining to political, economic, commercial and cultural domains and on matters relating to the welfare of Indian nationals working in Saudi Arabia. Our discussions shall cover the recent developments in the regional and international arena, and identify ways and means to further strengthen our close and friendly bilateral relationship. I look forward to discussing these themes in-depth, with the Saudi leadership. The historic and landmark visit of King Abdullah to India in January 2006 as Chief Guest for India’s Republic Day, opened a new chapter in our bilateral ties. The visit laid down the road map for the future bilateral cooperation. It imparted an added thrust and dimension, simultaneously heralding a new era in bilateral relations. The visit enhanced the content and quality of our ties, especially in the economic and commercial spheres as well as in the education and the health sector. We need to accelerate the momentum generated by the January 2006 visit of His Majesty King Abdullah. His Royal Highness Prince Saud al Faisal visited India recently in February this year. This provided us with an excellent opportunity to discuss the recent developments in the region and also focus on bilateral ties. My visit to Riyadh is to carry forward the momentum of our interaction and consultations, as well as to firm up the dates for Hon’ble Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia. 

2. Will you be visiting other Gulf States as well during this current tour?

This is an exclusive visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, keeping in view the importance that we attach to our bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia.

3. Your visit takes place at a time when this region is in the midst of tension in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the US continuing to exert pressure on Iran over the nuclear issue. What role do you foresee India playing in this context in partnership with the Kingdom and other GCC states, especially in the fight against terrorism?

India has shared interests with the Kingdom in peace and stability of the region. India has faced the scourge of terrorism aided and abetted from aboard for more than two decades. We see the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an important partner in combating global terrorism and would like to commend the efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for successfully hosting the International Conference on Counter-terrorism in February 2005. Both India and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are of the opinion that stability, territorial integrity and independence of Iraq is a must for the security and peace of the region. India wishes to see the Iraqi people freely determine their political future and exercise control over their natural resources.

We also hold the view that the solution to the Iranian nuclear issue should be reached diplomatically and not through force. This was clearly articulated by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques during his meetings with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Stability in Afghanistan similarly is closely linked to regional stability. We believe that the re-construction efforts must be imparted added momentum, and the entire region, including Afghanistan‘s immediate neighbours, have to play their due role in this process.

4. How do you assess Saudi-Indian ties in terms of foreign relations? They seem to be not as strong as in the field of commercial and economic relations.

India and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are bound together by a close and multifaceted relationship, which goes back in history and gets sustenance from our shared heritage and feeling of respect and affection between our peoples. We have common positions on many issues such as terrorism, situation in Iraq as well as our stance on Palestine. I would, therefore, view our bilateral relationship both in the political and economic spheres and particularly in view of the strong people to people dimension, as steadily diversifying with many complementarities. The visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to India in January 2006 is self-evident and indicative of our robust ties. India and Saudi Arabia have trade relations dating back to several centuries. Our present bilateral trade is US$15.97 billion (including India’s imports of oil from Saudi Arabia) and US$3.67 billion (excluding oil). We strongly feel that both countries have a potential to increase our trade manifold in years to come.

India’s programme of infrastructure building and renewal in the next five years requires an injection of capital of around US$400 bn. This area promises to provide not only a new avenue with steady yet increasing returns, but also enable increase in levels of employment.

5. Your visit takes place two years after that of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to New Delhi on Jan. 26, 2006. Please give us an update on the consultations that took place at the foreign policy level.

The visit of the Custodian provided a further fillip to our bilateral ties. Close on the heels of the visit of the Custodian, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal visited New Delhi in February 2006 and again in February this year. Detailed consultations were held on all issues of importance. A number of Ministerial visits have taken place from both sides, including visits of our Oil Ministers that are crucial for India’s energy security. The Speaker of Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) led a large delegation to Saudi Arabia and interacted with their counterparts in Shura Council. He also availed the opportunity to call on the Crown Prince and Foreign Minister Prince Saud. We have had our regular Joint Commission Meetings. India has appointed a Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Process who visited Saudi Arabia in September last year and held extensive discussion with Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal. My current visit to Riyadh is also part of our consultation process with Saudi Arabia. We hope to identify new opportunities for strengthening our relations in the coming years. 

6. India was to cooperate with the Riyadh-based Institute of Diplomatic Studies belonging to the Foreign Ministry for training its students in the field of mass communications. What progress has been made in this direction?

The Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs of New Delhi signed an MoU in June 2005 with the Riyadh-based Institute of Diplomatic Studies. This envisages cooperation in the fields of joint research, training, exchange of students, arranging symposium and seminars and exchange of books, periodicals and papers. While an Indian FSI delegation has visited the Saudi Institute of Diplomatic Studies, Saudi diplomats have been undergoing regular training at the Indian Foreign Service Institute. Recently, the Diplomatic Institute in Riyadh had organized a seminar on India-Saudi Relations wherein well-known speakers from India and Saudi Arabia participated. I have been given to understand that an excellent publication is being brought out after the seminar. We look forward for further intensification of our relations in this area, as both countries seek to have new ideas for diversifying our ties.

7. India's nuclear deal with the US is facing stiff opposition in New Delhi. Are you confident that the deal will go through?

The Government is committed to the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation Agreement. We are in the process of seeking broad political consensus on the issue with various political parties who are supporters of our coalition government in India. The discussion is still going on.

On 20 July 2007, after five rounds of negations, India and the US agreed on the text of a bilateral Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement to implement the understandings of July 2005 and March 2006. The finalized text of the Agreement has received the approval of our Cabinet.

As required by the Agreement, presently, an India-specific Safeguards Agreement is under finalization with the IAEA. The conclusion of such an Agreement will enable the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to amend its guidelines for civil nuclear cooperation in favour of India. After this, the Agreement will go to the US Congress for approval before it can be operationalised.

8. As a major power in South Asia, what role, in your opinion, can India play in reducing tension in the Middle East, which has created a climate of political instability in the region?

West Asia is a part of India’s extended neighbourhood, with which we have had a close interaction over millennia. Consequently, we have deep interest in peace and stability in the region and have been closely monitoring developments in the region.

We believe that there is no military solution to the Israel-Palestine and related issues. India has been calling for all parties in West Asia to fully cooperate with the efforts of the international community. We support the revival of direct negotiations between the leaders of Israel and Palestine, the momentum for which was generated at the Annapolis Conference. At the conference, India expressed its readiness to play its due role in the collective endeavour to strengthen the forces of peace and stability in the region. The Arab Peace Initiative, re-launched in Saudi Arabia in March (Riyadh -2007), provides a constructive framework for achieving such a comprehensive peace. 

9. With the forces of extremism and terror gaining ground in Afghanistan and Iraq, is India, as a neighboring country, worried about the situation in the region? Is your government taking any preventive steps in this regard?

The Taliban has gained ground over the past few years in some areas of Afghanistan. The Taliban follow an ideology based on extremism and terror. Such an ideology has simply no place in the modern world. We are following events in Afghanistan closely and have fully supported the government of President Karzai in its efforts to meet the challenge of terrorism.

10) With the US losing its hold as the lone super power, how do you see the role of China and India as the emerging powers? Do you see a situation in which India, China and Russia could forge strategic alliances in creating a new world order?

We attach priority to developing relations with China, our largest neighbour. India and China, as two major developing countries and the two fastest growing large economies, account for over 1/3rd of the humanity. Our two countries believe that our relations transcend the bilateral dimension and have come to acquire an increasing regional and global dimension. During the recent visit of our Prime Minister to China in January 2008, the two countries signed the shared Vision for the 21st Century that reflects the congruence of interest on regional and international issues. The Shared Vision document expresses our mutual desire to work together on multilateral issues for common benefit. 

India –Russia- China trilateral cooperation is not targeted against any other country or organisation and is intended to promote international harmony and mutual understanding and seeks to broaden common ground amidst divergent interest. The development of India, Russia and China is a major contribution to peace and development of the region and world and is beneficial to the process of multi polarity. With their continuous development and growing role in international affairs, India, Russia and China will further contribute to world peace, security, stability and prosperity.

India- Russia - China trilateral dialogue mechanism improves mutual understanding and trust with regard to serious challenges that the international community faces such as regional conflicts, terrorism, narco-trafficking, under-development, poverty and climate change and contributes to strengthening peace, security and stability in our region and the world.

11) How do you see the prospects of India becoming a permanent member of the Security Council?

There is unanimity among member states that the United Nations is in need of urgent and comprehensive reform so that it can deal with the challenges of today’s world more effectively. The United Nations should function in a more transparent, efficient and effective manner and the composition of its central organs must reflect contemporary realities. In particular, the expansion of the UN Security Council, in both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, is central to the process of UN reform. Developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin American & the Caribbean should be represented, as permanent members in an expanded Security Council.  It is in this framework that India aspires to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. There has been a widespread and growing appreciation of India’s strong credentials, and steady accretion of support for its candidature. We continue our active and constructive engagement with other member states on UN reform issues.

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