Mr Raju was Speaking at the 7th Shangri La Dilaogue in Singapore yesterday. He said, reviving old affinities are helpful in building new interdependence and regions like Southeast Asia have been inspiring in this regard.
He said, in the last few years, considerable progress has been made towards the goal of a more integrated South Asian region and the successful holding of elections in many of these states is itself a cause for encouragement.
01 June 2008: AIR
India says, a secure and peaceful periphery is essential for further growth and prosperity. The Minister of State for Defence Mr M M Pallam Raju said, to ensure this, India is seeking to give the neighbouring countries a stake in its growth process through trade, investment and services.
He said, the challenge is to convince them that the region is better off growing together rather than expending energies checking each other. Mr Raju was Speaking at the 7th Shangri La Dilaogue in Singapore yesterday. He said, reviving old affinities are helpful in building new interdependence and regions like Southeast Asia have been inspiring in this regard.
He said, in the last few years, considerable progress has been made towards the goal of a more integrated South Asian region and the successful holding of elections in many of these states is itself a cause for encouragement.
The Minister, however added that regional cooperation will only gather momentum when the salience of hard security is reduced. He said, some neighbouring countries seriously afflicted by terrorism is a cause of concern, more so when it spills over into India, through state sponsorship or otherwise. Mr Raju said, in recent years, the consequences of uneven growth and unmet expectations have added to country's vulnerabilities and our defence policy aims to deter the exploitation by external forces these internal vulnerabilities.
The Minister said, India's vigorous democratic record, past historical connectivity and shared traditions have been helpful in forging new defence bonds, particularly in Southeast Asia and West Asia. Dwelling on the splendid record of contributing to public good, he said, India remain focused on responding to challenges such as ensuring safety of sea lanes, enhancing the security capacities of its partners, and responding to natural disaster situations.
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