I wish to begin by
congratulating His Excellency President
Mahinda Rajapaksa for his election as
Chairperson of SAARC. I also convey my deep
appreciation to the Government and people of
Sri Lanka for the excellent arrangements
made for the 15th Summit, and for the warm
and generous hospitality that has been
extended to all of us.
I also wish to extend a very warm welcome to
our newest Observer, Mauritius, a country
with whom South Asia shares enduring
historical and cultural ties.
South Asia has travelled a long distance in
the twenty three years since SAARC was
established. The winds of democracy and
political change have swept across our
region. Our people's aspirations,
particularly of our youth, for a better life
and for greater empowerment, are rising and
rising very fast. With globalisation, our
economies are ever more inter-connected with
our neighbours and with the world as a
whole.
It is however a fact that South Asia has not
moved as fast as we all would have wished.
We have only to see the rapid integration
within ASEAN and its emergence as an
important economic bloc in Asia to
understand the opportunities that beckon us
all.
The success and prosperity of each one of us
provides opportunities to the others to
promote their own success and prosperity.
This mutuality of interests is the central
driving force of regional cooperation
everywhere.
Our aim should be to create virtuous cycles
of growth in our region. A prosperous South
Asia will also be a peaceful and stable
South Asia. Realising this vision requires a
change in our mindsets, and a new paradigm
of creative thinking. We can and must do
more to give meaning to the theme of this
year's Summit: "Growth through Partnership".
Terrorism continues to rear its ugly head in
our region. It remains the single biggest
threat to our stability and to our progress.
We cannot afford to lose the battle against
the ideologies of hatred, fanaticism and
against all those who seek to destroy our
social fabric.
Terrorists and extremists know no borders.
The recent attack on the Indian Embassy in
Kabul and the serial blasts in Bangalore and
Ahmedabad in the last few days are gruesome
reminders of the barbarity that still finds
a place here in South Asia. We must act
jointly and with determination to fight this
scourge. We must defend the values of
pluralism, peaceful coexistence and the rule
of law.
South Asia clearly has the resources and the
skills needed to meet our development
challenges. I am happy to say that India has
experienced vigorous growth at an average of
8.8% per year for the past four years. India
is now an open economy welcoming investment
from everywhere. The other countries in our
region have also done well. Today, Asia has
become the engine of growth of the world
economy and South Asia is a part of this
resurgence.
This growth must have a multiplier effect in
our region. We have rich and varied
experience in development, which we must
pool together to create a model of inclusive
and sustainable regional development. The
SAARC Development Fund has made a promising
start with the launching of two maternal and
child healthcare projects. The development
of SAARC Model Villages in each of our
countries within the last year is an equally
encouraging development. We must build on
these innovative programmes.
Economic cooperation, connectivity and
integration will be the cornerstone of SAARC
in the years ahead. We have already agreed
to move towards a South Asian Customs Union
and a South Asian Economic Union in a
planned and phased manner.
India has granted zero duty access to our
markets to LDC members from anuary 1, 2008,
one year ahead of the target and also pruned
our sensitive list for these countries.
India's FTA with Sri Lanka is working
satisfactorily bringing benefits to both our
economies.
We will go ahead with these initiatives at a
pace we are all comfortable with.
All the leaders have emphasized the
importance of physical connectivity. On its
part, India has upgraded its railway
connection to broad gauge at the
Raxaul-Birgunj and Jogbani-Biratnagar
borders, the Dhaka-Kolkata rail service has
begun, and work is underway to upgrade
infrastructure along our borders with other
neighbours. India looks forward to the
finalization of the draft Agreements on
Motor Vehicles and Railways.
I have always believed that the people of
South Asia know much more about countries of
the West than they do about themselves. The
fraternity that exists among our students
and professionals outside the region must be
re-created here in South Asia. The
overwhelming response generated by the first
SAARC Cultural Festival and the first SAARC
Youth Camp reflects the latent desire for
such exchanges.
We are excited about the establishment of
the South Asian University. The land for the
University in New Delhi has been acquired
and a Project Office has been set up. When
the University becomes operational in 2010,
it will cater to 5000 students, and will
create a pool of world-class scientists,
technologists and thinkers. When they go out
into the world, they will represent not just
their respective countries but all of South
Asia.
To be a dynamic and responsive body, SAARC
must identify and address new challenges as
they emerge. The unprecedented increase in
oil and food prices risks jeopardizing our
developmental gains.
SAARC must make its voice heard in the
councils of the world to ensure that there
is an effective global response that
protects the interests of oil consuming
countries. We should also pool our resources
to tap renewable sources such as solar
energy, hydropower and wind energy, all of
which South Asia has in abundance.
The establishment of the SAARC Food Bank in
2007 was an extremely forward looking
decision. In the context of the global food
crisis today, this decision stands out as an
example of our foresight and our ability to
help ourselves. We should now move forward
to an early ratification of the
Intergovernmental Agreement by all the
Member States.
We in India are acutely conscious that we
need a Second GreenRevolution. The countries
of South Asia need to work towards a
collective response that leads to a quantum
leap in agricultural productivity, foodgrain
output and farm incomes so that the spectre
of food shortages and hunger vanishes from
our region.
India will actively work with Member States
to realise the several proposals that have
been made, including greater exchange of
knowledge and experience on breeding
livestock, improvement in yields of protein
rich pulses and in adoption of modern
post-harvest technologies.
We are inheritors and trustees of one of the
most vulnerable eco-systems in the world. It
is most encouraging that our Ministers have
finalised a SAARC Action Plan on Climate
Change, which recognizes that rapid
development provides the best form of
adaptation.
India has recently launched a National
Action Plan on Climate Change, and we will
be more than willing to share experiences.
There are a number of areas in this Plan
where we need to cooperate with SAARC member
countries such as in our mission on
sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem, in our
plans for protection of coastal areas, in
disaster management strategies and
programmes, early warning systems and
collaborative research on climate modeling.
SAARC already has projects on water
harvesting and afforestation but we all need
to do much more
in these vital areas.
I am confident that under the able
leadership of Sri Lanka, we will continue to
move these initiatives forward. In recent
years we have shifted our focus from
declarations to action and implementation,
and I am happy to note, this has begun to
show results. As we consolidate, prioritize
and rationalize our activities, we will
bring closer to the doorsteps of our people
the benefits of SAARC.
India stands ready to play her part in the
evolution of a stable, vibrant, and
prosperous South Asia. I am optimistic about
our collective future, and I am confident
that the best is yet to come.
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