Annual Report 2011 - 2012

Annual Report 2011 - 2012
two countries' common desire for cooperation to achieve
economic development and common goals in the subregional,
regional and international context.
India desires peaceful and cooperative relations with
Pakistan and is committed to resolving all outstanding
issues through dialogue, in an atmosphere free of terrorism
and violence. India believes that a stable Pakistan, acting
as a bulwark against terrorism and extremism, is in the
interest of Pakistan, our region and beyond. In pursuance
of the mandate given by the two Prime Ministers, following
their meeting in Thimphu in April 2010, the bilateral
dialogue was resumed. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan
visted India from 26-28 July, 2011.
Alongside its bilateral initiatives to strengthen ties with its
neighbours in the South Asia region, India continued to
shoulder its major responsibility to lend vitality to SAARC
and transform it into an effective mechanism of regional
cooperation. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's
announcement of a major intiative at the XVII SAARC
Summit in Addu, Maldives last November, to eliminate
drastically the tariff lines on India's Sensitive List for the
benefit of the LDCs in the SAARC region, was widely
welcomed.
India continued to promote relations with its largest
neighbour, China, on the basis of the principles of mutual
respect and sensitivity to each other's concerns. The year
2011, designated as the Year of India-China Exchanges,
was marked by increased exchanges, especially at the state/
provincial level. The commercial and economic ties
expanded further and a Strategic Economic Dialogue was
launched. India continues to invest in forging a stable
and cooperative relationship with China that is mutually
beneficial and also a source of regional stability and
prosperity.
In its extended neighbourhood of Central Asia, India is
consolidating its relations not only on the basis of historical
and cultural linkages, but also through trade and commercial
activities. The exchange of high-level visits included the visit
of Prime Minister to Kazakhastan in April 2011, and the
President of Uzbekistan's visit to India in May 2011.
India's relationship with the United States premised on
the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, pluralism
and secularism, has deepened considerably over the years.
A high level of bilateral engagement during the year
maintained the momentum in our relations. The External
Affairs Minister, Shri S.M. Krishna, co-chaired the Second
India-US Strategic Dialogue with the US Secretary of State,
ii
Hillary Clinton in July 2011 in New Delhi. The two sides
were engaged in close consultations on regional and global
developments, including those pertaining to South Asia,
West Asia, Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, and the
Indian Ocean region.
In addition, as part of the expanding bilateral cooperation,
the two sides launched a Homeland Security Dialogue in
May 2011 in New Delhi; held the first Higher Education
Summit in October 2011 in Washington DC; and, held a
number of bilateral economic meetings, including
Commercial Dialogue, Financial and Economic
Partnership and the India-US CEO Forum.
The 'special and privileged' relationship with Russia
constitutes an important dimension of India's foreign
policy. It represents a strong national consensus on both
sides that cuts across ideologies or political circumstances.
This partnership was further consolidated with the visit of
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Russia in
December 2011 for the 12th bilateral Annual Summit.
PM's meeting with President Medvedev in Sanya (China)
on the sidelines of the 3rd BRICS Summit and the regular
exchange of visits by ministers and senior officials during
the year added depth to the strategic relationship.
Relations with countries in Europe were characterized by
high-level visits, parliamentary exchanges and civil society
dialogues, etc. At the highest level, the major events that
took place included: the first Indo-German Intergovernmental
Consultation between Prime Minister Dr.
Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Angela Merkel
in Delhi in May 2011, and the 12th India-EU Summit in
Delhi in February 2012, at which the Indian side was led
by Prime Minister, while the President of the European
Council, Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, and the President of
the European Commission, Mr. Jose Manuel Baroso,
represented the European Union. A meeting was also held
between Prime Minister and UK Prime Minister David
Cameron, on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit at Cannes
in November 2011.
India is as much a Southeast Asian nation as a South Asian
nation, given the rich linguistic and ethnic mosaic of our
Northeast, and the fact that we share land borders with a
large ASEAN nation - Myanmar. Our Andaman and
Nicobar islands chain are also in the very close vicinity of
Southeast Asia. India's 'Look East' Policy, enunciated in
the early nineties, has renewed India's civilizational ties
with the Southeast and East Asian region on the strategic,
political, economic and people to people level. The Prime
Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh's participated in the 9th