Dean, Foreign Service Institute,
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, High Commissioners,
Participants of the ASEAN Diplomats Programme,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to be with you this evening for the Valedictory Function of the Programme for ASEAN Diplomats. The participation of 24 diplomats from the 10 member countries of the ASEAN has imparted to this programme a unique flavor that truly reflects the friendly relations and bonds of mutual understanding between member countries of the ASEAN and India.

2. India’s Foreign Policy has always had a pronounced emphasis on relations with ASEAN countries. With a view to impart a new direction and momentum to this rapidly expanding relationship, India had consciously embarked on the now well known “Look East Policy”, at about the same time as the programme of economic liberalization in India. Over the last 15 years since the commencement of this policy, we have been cooperating actively with ASEAN, in the initiative for ASEAN integration. At the Fourth India-ASEAN Summit, held in December last year, our Prime Minister offered assistance to Cambodia, Laos, Mayanmar and Vietnam in setting up Centres for English Language Training and establishing a satellite-based tele-medicine and tele-education network. Many members of the ASEAN countries are also members of the BIMSTEC and the Mekong-Ganga Co-operation Initiative. More than 500 training slots, under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC), about 20% of the total, have been earmarked for ASEAN. This reflects the importance accorded by India to its relations with members of ASEAN countries. The Professional Course which you have completed is in its own way a concrete expression of our policy.

3. Our bilateral cooperation finds expression in immediate past. For example, despite being affected itself by the Tsunami disaster, India was among the first countries to respond to the international relief efforts which severely affected many ASEAN countries. In the last forty-five years, more than 75,000 Indian personnel have participated in peacekeeping missions in different parts of the world, including in Cambodia during 1991-94 under the auspices of United Nations.

4. I am aware that some countries of ASEAN see themselves as Pacific Rim Countries. Yet, the fact that they are among the most important countries on the littoral of Indian Ocean, is of special significance and importance for us in India. I was in Tehran earlier this year for the 6th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation. The significance of this Association can be gauged by the fact that the Indian Ocean sustains the maritime lifeline of over 50% of world trade. At the meeting, I expressed our readiness to share the experience gained in Mitigation of Natural Disasters and provide training for capacity building. I also stressed the importance of increased cultural interaction and tourism flows. As a strong economic unit, ASEAN countries have a special role in the IOR-ARC process. I would say that, with our own capabilities strengthened, we have been able to provide renewed impulse and added substance to the ‘Look East Dimension’ of our external relations. The role we see for ourselves is that of a partner in capacity building and sharing experience in the context of ASEAN.

5. Globalisation, the dominant theme of our times, poses its own questions and issues. Some of these would have been flagged and discussed in your programme. As diplomats, you undoubtedly have a privileged and wider view of the global stage. What is clear is that challenges thrown up by processes that are global will require collective responses. Therefore, foreign policies in our region will need to be managed in a way that the pursuit of self-interest of nations does not jeopardize the greater harmony of world relations. An environment of security, predictability and peace is essential for business to flourish and development to take place. Enhancing cooperation in the field of security is critical to our larger efforts aimed at building lasting economic ties.

6. Today, the principal threats to peace and stability in the world are not from wars between nations but from transnational terrorism. That is why, as we jointly work towards intensification of our economic and other ties, India and ASEAN should not lose sight of the overarching importance of working purposefully and in cooperation to combat the menace of terrorism. The Joint Declaration on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism and other Transnational Crimes that India and ASEAN have signed is reflective of our determination to effectively combat this menace.

7. In today’s globalising world, economic cooperation is at the heart of relations between countries. It is the foundation on which the entire edifice of relations has to be built. India looks forward to a comprehensive engagement with all ASEAN countries. We would like to share our strengths for the development of the region and for mutual benefit.

8. We share unique cultural bonds with each of the countries of the ASEAN region. These bonds are far too many to be recounted here. I am told that during the course of this programme, you have been able to travel to Bodh Gaya, the birth place of Lord Buddha and also to Kolkata and Bhubhaneswar, located on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, our primary interface with the countries of the ASEAN region. You would no doubt have had an occasion to see for yourself many aspects of our shared cultural heritage reflected in social practices and religious beliefs. A substantive section of people in the ASEAN countries and in India want governments to build on our shared heritage. This includes multitudes of people of Indian origin who have settled in ASEAN countries over the last one thousand years. The Governments in ASEAN region and in India have a shared responsibility to ensure peace and harmony across our region, carry forward and build a fruitful scientific, technological and economical partnership, which the people of our countries desire. I am sure that this programme has offered you opportunities to go deep into the challenges and opportunities that the new millennium offers to the new generation of diplomats in ASEAN and in India.

9. One of the objectives of the Programme for ASEAN Diplomats was to acquaint participants with various facets of India – our polity, economy, society, history, culture and of course, our foreign policy. Perhaps, four weeks is hardly enough to understand a country, especially a country like India. However, I hope you have, at the end of your stay, an appreciation of our rich past and equally of the direction in which we are moving.

10. I would like to congratulate the diplomats from the ASEAN countries for successfully participating in the course. I hope you found the programme useful and enjoyed your stay in India. I wish you success in your endeavors. I also take this opportunity to convey through you our greetings and good wishes to your respective countries and people.

11. Let me conclude by pointing out that in most team sports like football, hockey and cricket, popular in our part of the world, a team comprises 11 players. India is delighted to complete the team of ASEAN 10. If you fancy the game of football or hockey, consider us as the goal keeper, a keeper of our shared cultural heritage and a preserver of peace and tranquility in our region. If you fancy cricket, consider us as an opener, a country which wants to open a long innings of prosperity, peace and tranquility in our region, in the new millennium.

Thank you.

New Delhi
September 21, 2006

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