Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

‘Look East’ policy a compulsion: ex-MEA Secretary

TIRUPATI: Ambassador A.N. Ram, former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi has said that the pursuit of India in furthering its ‘Look East Engagements’ was no longer an option but a national and international imperative, in partnership with the Asia-Pacific nations.

Ram who was closely associated with the task of enunciating India’s ‘Look East’ policy in the former Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao’s cabinet was delivering a keynote address at the three-day seminar on the theme, “India and Asia-Pacific: Convergence and Divergence”. The meet got underway in the Sri Venkateswara University here under the aegis of its ‘Centre for South-East Asian and Pacific Studies’.

The former MEA Secretary focused on the dividends derived by the country under its ‘Look East’ policy and also traced the stages of India’s integration with the ASEAN process. He said the process of India moving itself closer to ASEAN which began in 1992 reached its pinnacle in 2002 when its dialogues with the ASEAN states was elevated from Ministerial level to Summit level. Ram pointed out that the burgeoning India-ASEAN partnership reflected the success of India’s ‘Look East’ policy. He said the policy which was premised in trade more on economic interaction with the South-East Asian nations subsequently began to focus on matters of common interest such as politics, defence, maritime and strategic relations. It also forged ahead with countries in the Asia-Pacific region like China, Japan, Korea and Australia, Ram said.

Registrar of SV University, Prof. Y. Venkatrami Reddy presided while the Director of the Centre Prof. K. Raja Reddy explained the objectives of the seminar. Prof. Y. Yagama Reddy of the centre said that a paradoxical situation was prevailing in the Asia-Pacific region characterised by cooperation and contradictions with India seeking to play its benign role in this backdrop.

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