Minsk: President Pranab Mukherjee has voiced serious concern over terrorism and extremism emanating from India's neighbourhood, saying it remains a major security threat for India as well as other countries in the region.
"Terrorism and extremism emanating from our shared neighbourhood remains a major security threat for India and for Belarus too," he said in his address at the prestigious Belarus State University in Minsk on Wednesday night.
He insisted that addressing this challenge requires greater cooperation among all nations and clarity of purpose. The President said India has and will always remain committed to peaceful methods in its foreign policy.
Earlier, on the first leg of his two-nation tour, Mukherjee had raised the issue of terrorism while speaking at the Uppsala University in Sweden, where he deviated from his written speech and said world is not free from trouble.
"What is happening in West Asia? What is happening in different parts of the world? Whatever be the divergence of views, on the issue of terrorism, I am sure that all will agree that terrorism has no respect for any religion," he had said, adding it believes in nothing but wanton destruction.
"It is important for the international community to face this greatest menace, I would say, not to any country or territory but to entire civilisation. The very existence of human values, the respect for peaceful co-existence, tolerance, pluralism are being dangerously threatened by this," he had said in a strongly worded speech.
Mukherjee, who is in Belarus on the first-ever State Visit by an Indian President, was conferred upon the Professor Honoris Causa by the Belarus State University.
He said India is strongly interested in further deepening its already substantive relationship with Belarus.
"I have had excellent discussions with President (Alexander) Lukashenko earlier today. With a view to further energise our co-operation, we have issued a very substantive and focused Roadmap on the India-Belarus partnership.
"We are hopeful that we can double our trade to a level of $1 billion by the year 2020. India's decision to grant 'Market Economy Status' to Belarus will also be a significant step to enhance our bilateral trade and to promote greater integration of Belarus in international trade structures," he said.
Maintaining that the two countries have similar approach towards international issues, he exuded confidence that India and Belarus can continue to further their respective regional and global agenda through mutual support and understanding.
"The need for more representative and inclusive structures of global governance has never been felt as acutely as today. We cannot address the serious political, military, economic, ecological and technological challenges of the 21st Century using the international instruments conceived at a different phase in human history," Mukherjee said.
He asserted that despite the fact that there is a wider diffusion of power in the international system and emerging economies have grown in strength, there has been little progress in changing the methodology and processes of international decision-making.
"Cooperation between India and Belarus, as well as other like-minded countries will be essential to bring about the necessary changes in a reasonable time-frame," he said. He said that though the formal diplomatic ties between the two sides have a relatively short history, cultural interactions have an interesting past.
He noted that India's national poet Rabindranath Tagore visited Minsk in 1931 and met with several leading intellectuals and fellow writers.
"In fact, his poetry was widely admired here. The musician, Nicholas Nabokov, who was born near Minsk, travelled to India in the 1960s and was impressed by India's musical traditions," he said.
"Several Belarusians have studied Indian classical dance and some of them have started offering lessons to others. Yoga is another aspect of Indian culture that is becoming increasingly popular. I am told that Indian films have been popular in Belarus: perhaps the splendid landscape of this beautiful country could, itself, provide a backdrop for shooting Indian films," he added.
Later, at a reception hosted by India's ambassador to Belarus, Mukherjee said that common interests of the two sides in the field of science and technology, complementarities in the fields of IT and engineering, collaboration in energy and in pharmaceuticals - as well as close cooperation in defence, have linked both the countries in a long standing, fruitful partnership for mutual benefit.
The President asserted that it is an opportune moment for Belarus companies to invest in India.
"For investors and business partners, we are a fast growing economy and expanding market and, for tourists and academicians ours is a fascinating land of ancient culture and incredible regional diversities.
"Government of India is taking a number of initiatives to channelise our significant resources towards inclusive growth of all constituents of our economy and society – by encouraging investment, reviving the manufacturing sector, promoting skill development, developing smart cities and improving sanitation and cleanliness - especially of our rivers," he said.
"Belarus has competencies in many of these areas, especially in construction machinery, urban development, vocational training and niche areas of manufacturing and technology. I would emphasise that this is an opportune moment - Indian companies are also keen to partner with Belarus in these sectors," he added.
Mukherjee noted that there is a need to encourage the linkages in the education sector as an investment in capacity-building for future generations.
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