PM Modi inaugurates 2nd edition of Raisina Dialogue
Our Correspondent
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday asked Pakistan to walk away from terrorism if it wanted dialogue with India as New Delhi alone could not walk on the path of peace.
Addressing the 2nd edition of Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, Mr Modi said, the world is going through profound changes and non-state actors are major contributors to spread of challenges faced by the world.
He said India believes in de-linking terrorism from religion, and rejecting artificial distinctions between good and bad terrorism.
On India-China relations, Mr Modi said, the rise of the two countries is an unprecedented economic opportunity for them and for the whole world. At the same time, it is not unnatural for two large neighbouring powers to have some differences.
He said both the countries need to show sensitivity and respect for each other’s core concerns and interests for peace and progress in the region.
The Prime Minister said, an integrated neighbourhood is his dream and there is a need to strengthen connectivity and bring the region together. Mr Modi said India’s security engagement with Afghanistan has deepened.
He said, completion of Afghanistan’s Parliament building and India-Afghan friendship dam are two shinning examples of developmental partnership. Mr. Modi said, with Bangladesh, India has achieved greater convergence and political understanding.
On Indo-US relations, he said, our actions have brought speed, substance and strength to the entire spectrum of economic, commercial, and security engagements between the two nations.
The Prime Minister said the multi-polarity of the world is a dominant fact today and India welcomes it. He said the world needs India’s sustained rise as much as it needs world’s rise. Mr Modi said, India’s economic and political rise represents a regional and global opportunity of great significance.
Mr Modi said there is a need to guard against any instinct or inclination that promotes exclusion especially in Asia. He said, institutions and architectures built for a different world seem outdated, posing a barrier to effective multilateralism.
Mr Modi said prosperity of Indians at home and abroad and security of citizens are of paramount importance, but self interest alone is not part of Indian culture.
The Prime Minister said, his government follows a path of international engagement focused on rebuilding connectivity, restoring bridges and rejoining India with its immediate and extended neighbourhood. He said, the government is also focusing on making India a human resource power by connecting its talented youth to global needs and opportunities.
Raisina Dialogue, is India’s flagship geo-political conference organized by the External Affairs Ministry in partnership with the Observer Research Foundation. Former Heads of States, Foreign Ministers and senior Ministers from a number of countries and prominent foreign policy thinkers from around the world are attending the event.
The first edition was held in March last year by the Ministry of External Affairs along with the Observer Research Foundation.
The theme of the 2nd edition is ‘The New Normal: Multilateralism and Multipolarity’.