Inaugural Address

In the changing global order in the 21st century, India is being witnessed
as a world leader in the making. The strength of resurging India is increasing and
so are its responsibilities as a global player. India's foreign policy is guided by its
cultural values like Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam (World is One) and principles of
Panchsheel, and peaceful co-existence bestowed on us by architects of the modern
India. The policy of non alignment adopted in view of the then prevailing cold war
has successfully stood the test of time.

Friend not foe, brother not boss, this is what India wants to convince its
neighbours. Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India, once said
“we can certainly change our friends but not neighbours.” Neighbours are the
reality of 21st century international relations. Any country wants to become
secured, progressive and developed must accept this reality. It is the cooperation,
friendship and love of neighbours through which a country can achieve its goal.
The PM of India Mr. Narendra Modi has shown his shown his strong belief in the
statement and taken it seriously. He has already restarted the debate of India’s
world vision.

The world today has become volatile as it was never before.

Globalization has erased the boundaries for prospects and so of the challenges,
whether political, economic or social. We are witnessing that problem of terrorism
know no geographical boundaries, economic recession had shaken the whole world
to its core, deprivations of socio-economic justice are not confined to a particular
region be it countries in Africa, north- west China or a large part of India.

We needed a larger degree of cooperation among nations to face all the

more difficult challenges in a fast evolving and unpredictable world. The time has
come, when narrow interests of the nations which propelled our glob to the verge
of insecurity should give way to a concerted cooperative endeavor. The foreign
policy as a task for fulfilling of the interest of the particular country at the cost
of others is bound to amplify the conflicts and the world today is hardly
equipped to bear another Burden of war.

The debate on foreign policy must also address the larger questions of
humanity such as poverty, human rights cultural liberty, gender equality, health
and nutrition, food security, water scarcity, climate change etc. Mitigation of these
issues is surely going to make the world more moral and egalitarian. The present
day ills, whether they were in political or economic area, cannot be resolved, until
and unless we confront these issues at global level.

I believe that this conference will be a fruitful exercise to understand the changing
dynamics of India’s foreign policy and finding out ways to enhancing synergy
between India and other countries at bilateral as well as multilateral level so that
we can march towards brighter future together.