A delegation of the International Committee of the Labour Party of Norway visited IDSA on September 10, 2008. The visiting delegation was headed by Mr. Olav Akselsen, Member and Speaker of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Parliament of Norway. The focus of the interactive session was India’s Foreign Policy, India’s stance on Climate Change and India’s relations with Africa.
In his brief introduction, the Chair, Mr. Sujit Dutta, Senior Fellow, IDSA described the history of IDSA and its unique role in shaping the strategic, security and foreign policy discourse in India. Mr. Akselsen on his part gave a brief history of the Labour Party and presented an overview of Norwegian foreign policy, particularly its International Development programme. He said NATO is extremely important for Norwegian security. On global issues, Mr. Akselsen highlighted that global warming is a major Norwegian concern. Norway supports the Post-Kyoto agreement and looks forward to the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change in May 2009. However, he also said that the richest countries must bear the maximum burden of global warming. In this regard, he suggested that an International Joint Mechanism Plan may be worked upon. On the reform of the United Nations, he mentioned that the UN and specifically the UN Security Council do not reflect the present reality and India must play a major role in the UN.
Mr. Sujit Dutta gave a presentation on Indian foreign policy. He said that after the Cold War India’s foreign relations have been diversified and its foreign policy agenda has taken on board new issues such as energy, climate change, terrorism, UN reform, etc. He described the evolution of Indian foreign policy after the Cold War and depicted it as multi-directional. On the Indian neighbourhood, he said that most of the country’s neighbours have been going through political turmoil, be it Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. It is a serious challenge for Indian foreign policy makers and strategic community to actualise the goal of a stable neighbourhood. On India-China relations, he said that there are unresolved issues in the bilateral relations such as the Tibetan refugees in India, unresolved border and China’s role in the Indian neighbourhood. However, China has begun to take into account the rise of India and also wishes to engage India constructively in many areas.
Dr. Arvind Gupta, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Chair at IDSA, dealt with the issue of India’s stance on Climate Change. He underscored that India aims at an inclusive growth pattern and follows the distributive model. As a developing country, India needs an annual growth of 8 to 10 per cent to pull its vast masses out of poverty. Sustained economic growth requires energy supplies at affordable prices. Therefore, India should not be equated with the industrialised nations. He also highlighted that India’s contribution to the global per capita carbon emission is the lowest and India’s energy efficiency is almost at par with rich countries like Germany. Dr. Gupta pointed out that India cannot accept legally binding emission cut quotas, but reiterated the commitment given by the Indian Prime Minister that the country’s per capita emission would never go beyond the per capita average emission of developed countries.
Ms. Ruchita Beri, Research Officer at IDSA, provided a historical background of India’s relations with Africa. She informed the delegation that India’s relations with Africa dates back to the pre-independence years and the civil disobedience movement started by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa. Till date, African leaders like Sam Nujoma and Nelson Mandela remember and respect the Indian model of non-violence. At present, Ms. Beri, added, there is a two million-strong Indian Diaspora in the African continent and this contributes to the strong bonds between India and Africa. In recent years economic considerations have assumed high priority in India’s Africa policy. India’s relations with Africa are not exploitative, but based on mutual benefit and understanding. Energy is emerging as an important component of co-operation. India is trying its best to provide technical-economic assistance to African countries and build a mutually beneficial relationship. Developing human resources and other capacities in Africa, she concluded, is a focus of India’s foreign policy.
Questions to Mr. Akselsen
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Questions to IDSA panellists
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Prepared by Dr. Medha Bisht, Research Assistant at IDSA, and Alok Mukhopadhyay, Associate Fellow at IDSA.