Shri Natwar Singh inaugurated International Seminar commemorating 50th anniversary of Panchsheel
To advance the noble principles underlying Panchsheel, we need an international order based on genuine multilateralism, said Shri K. Natwar Singh, Minister of External Affairs while inaugurating the International Seminar on "50 YEARS OF PANCHSHEEL: TOWARDS A NEW INTERNATIONAL ORDER BASED ON GENUINE MULTILATERALISM" organised by ICWA, here today. At the core of multilateralism, is respect for the views of all States and the belief in resolution of differences and conflicts through a process of dialogue and conciliation. If unilateralism denotes adhocness, domination and insensitivity for the views of others, multilateralism connotes order, sovereign equality and acceptance of diversity. Strengthening multilateralism as a process and the UN as its central embodiment is therefore a natural outcome of our belief in Panchsheel, in today’s world, he said.
Shri Singh emphasized that the relevance of Panchsheel lies in the dignity and strength that it lends to the voice of smaller nations safeguarding their core concerns and placing at their command peaceful means to minimise the marginalisation of their economies in the emerging world order. Panchsheel can thus become a powerful force for the promotion of both democracy and development.
On this occasion, Shri Natwar Singh formally released a Commemorative Volume –"Panchsheel and the Future". brought out by the Institute of Chinese Studies Centre for Study of Developing Societies, Delhi. Contributors to this Volume include Indian and Chinese scholars. He also inaugurated a "Photo Exhibition on Panchsheel" to mark the occasion.
The following is the text of the address by the External Affairs Minister, Shri K. Natwar Singh:
"It is a pleasure and a privilege to be asked to inaugurate this international seminar commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Panchsheel. I complement the Indian Council of World Affairs for taking the initiative to organise this event and take this opportunity to welcome the distinguished participants.
Four days ago we celebrated the 115th Birth Anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It was an occasion for us to reflect on the legacy of Independent India’s first Prime Minister. He gave us many gifts. Our vibrant and secular democracy, our diversified industrial base, our science and technology infrastructure, our nationhood, bears his imprint. He gave India a foreign policy which has stood the test of time. But his moral stature was such that he could also articulate an ideology for the whole world. Premier Zhou Enlai shared his vision and it is their shared vision which is encapsulated in the principles of Panchsheel.
Panchsheel, or the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, were first formally enunciated in the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet region of China and India signed on April 29, 1954. Two months later, during the visit to India of Premier Zhou Enlai, he and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru issued a Joint Statement on June 28, 1954 that elaborated their vision of Panchsheel as the framework, not only for relations between the two countries, but also for their relations with all other countries, so that a solid foundation could be laid for peace and security in the world.
Even though Panchsheel as a framework for a normative code of conduct between nations originated half a century ago, Panchsheel as a philosohphy is centuries old. Its origin can be found in the code of personal conduct enshrined in the philosophy of Buddhism. But the very essence of the Buddhist teachings was drawn from the ancient Indian way of life which emphasized the pursuit of virtue and called for positive cooperation in social intercourse at various levels. That has remained the abiding ethos of India down the centuries.
Thus, at one level, the enunciation of the Panchsheel principles mirrors the beliefs and values of ancient civilisations as those of India and China. At the core of Panchsheel is the emphasis on "peaceful co-existence" and cooperation for mutual benefit. At a more practical level, Panchsheel principles are a guide for management of harmonious inter-state relations. Seen in this light, Panchsheel reflects eternal values.
In the fifties, we were engaged in nation building and in the consolidation of our statehood. State sovereignty was of paramount importance. Is it a surprise then, that the first principle is - "mutual respect for each others territorial integrity and sovereignty?" As Nehru said: "It is in no spirit of pride or arrogance that we pursue our own independent policy. We would not do otherwise unless we are false to everything India has stood for in the past and stands for today. We welcome association and friendship with all and the flow of thought and ideas of all kind, but we reserve the right to choose our own path. That is the essence of Panchsheel."
Given the experience of wars, of death and destruction "mutual non-aggression" is articulated as the second principle. The essence of the newly won freedom entailed the will and the ability to shape the country’s future for these Asian states, liberated after decades and sometimes centuries of domination and alien rule. The promise of "mutual non-interference in each others internal affairs" is therefore an expression of a desire to carve out a future, free of external influence. To quote Nehru again: "That each country should carve out its own destiny without interfering with others is an important conception, though there is nothing new about it. No great truths may be new. But it is true that an idea like non-interference requires emphasis because there has been in the past a tendency for great countries to interfere with others, to bring pressure to bear upon them, and to want these others to line up with them."
The other two principles of Panchsheel i.e. equal and mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence embody the values of our traditional legacies- Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian. The ancient Sanskrit invocations to ‘vishwa shanti’ or "sarve janaha sukhino bhavantu" state these sentiments.
Looking at the world order in the 21st century, how does one view Panchsheel? We live in a world, different from the world of fifty years ago in many respects, and yet bedevilled still by interference, intolerance, aggression and conflict. Panchsheel can provide the ideological foundation for this developing paradigm of international interaction, allowing all nations to work towards peace and prosperity in cooperation, while maintaining their national identity, spirit and character. There were fifty-one states when the UN charter was signed in San Francisco in 1945. Today the UN has 191 members. The erstwhile bi-polar rivalry has ended. But we have states with diverse political systems, and at different stages of economic development. Globalisation has made it a world of inescapable inter-linkages and yet State sovereignty and territorial integrity continue to be fundamental principles. The contours and content of sovereignty have changed and will keep changing. We have to accept this reality. We also have the debate concerning unipolarity vis-à-vis multipolarity. Seen in terms of military might alone, the world has a predominant power; however, even this mighty power has its limitations. As experience has shown a war can be waged unilaterally, but to build peace we need collective efforts. Further, it is natural and inevitable that there are diverse centres of political power, economic weight and cultural influence. In many ways, the world has changed, there are new threats and challenges and yet the yearning for peace and harmonious co-existence continues. The essence of Panchsheel therefore is of timeless relevance.
We can reflect on the evolution and interpretation of the Panchsheel principles for the world of today. When we look around and see the examples of the war in Iraq and the continuing conflict in West Asia, the value of non-aggression becomes evident. Samuel Huntington spoke a few years ago of "the clash of civilisations". I am sure everyone present here today will agree with my conviction that it is our duty to prove him a false prophet. We need mutual respect, understanding and sympathy for each others values, beliefs and systems. This would be the interpretation in the modern world of the principle of "mutual respect and non-interference".
To advance the noble principles underlying Panchsheel, we need an international order based on genuine multilateralism. At the core of multilateralism, is respect for the views of all States and the belief in resolution of differences and conflicts through a process of dialogue and conciliation. If unilateralism denotes adhocness, domination and insensitivity for the views of others, multilateralism connotes order, sovereign equality and acceptance of diversity. Strengthening multilateralism as a process and the UN as its central embodiment is therefore a natural outcome of our belief in Panchsheel, in today’s world. The global fight against the scourge of international terrorism is a practical, modern day rationale for a new international order based on equality, justice and tolerance. There is universal recognition that this fight can only be successful if there are no double standards and if there is complete multilateral and, indeed, global cooperation. We have also understood that there is no alternative to acceptance of "peaceful co-existence" in a world facing the threat of annihilation if Weapons of Mass Destruction are used either by irresponsible states or intolerant non-state actors.
We recognise the imperative of working with each other for mutual benefit. Be it trade or finance or technology, in a globalised world ‘equality and mutual benefit’ find reflection in the imperative need to ensure that the benefits of globalisation are enjoyed not by few, but by all and that globalisation leads to all around peace and prosperity. Globalisation should not become a pretext for the ‘strong overpowering the weak’. Instead, it should pave the way for "a federation of friendly inter-dependent nations", where no one dominates or exploits the other, as Prime Minister Nehru envisaged. The relevance of Panchsheel lies in the dignity and strength that it lends to the voice of smaller nations safeguarding their core concerns and placing at their command peaceful means to minimise the marginalisation of their economies in the emerging world order. Panchsheel can thus become a powerful force for the promotion of both democracy and development.
India continues to play an active role in this process. We are not only a founder members of the UN, but are a major contributor in ideas, activities and personnel including peacekeepers. In redefining the world order, we believe that India has to play an even larger role in the decision making structures of the UN and bring to the table, the perspectives of developing countries. We will continue to strive for a better and more equitable world order based on these principles.
Let us see now the practical expression of Panchsheel in India’s own relationships with other countries. As the co-author of Panchsheel with China, India has taken initiatives for a stable, mutually cooperative and beneficial relationship with China. If the 21st century is going to be the century of Asia, then India and China have a special role to play in promoting the concepts espoused by Panchsheel. It is true to the spirit and character of Panchsheel that both countries, over the last decade and more, have embarked upon the path of developing a long-term constructive and cooperative partnership. India wants a strong and enduring friendship with China, on the basis of Panchsheel - mutual respect and sensitivity to each other’s concerns and aspirations, and equality. As two ancient civilizations, which in contemporary times are also the two largest developing countries, India and China share a great responsibility to strengthen and provide further impetus to Panchsheel through the examples set by their own cooperation as well as their conduct of international relations.
The mainspring of Panchsheel is multilateralism and mutual beneficence. If trust, friendship and peace are the denominators of a quotable relationship in international affairs, then the last five decades bear witness that India-Russia relations qualify very well for it. No wonder, it was out of this conviction that India and Russia declared in November 2003, at their Annual Summit in Moscow, that "greater interaction and mutual respect among diverse societies and cultures will lead both to enrichment of these cultures as well as to enhanced harmony and security in the world. In this era of globalisation, it is by preserving pluralism that true multipolarity – in its political and economic as also social and cultural dimensions – will be attained".
Our relations with our near neighbours in Central Asia are a living proof of this faith in diversity internally and goodwill abroad. These shared values and the trust in our cooperation reinforce our faith in multilateralism.
The situation in West Asia confirms that the principles of Panchsheel are as valid today as they were 50 years ago. The status-quo in the Middle East is clearly in defiance of the will of the international community, expressed unambiguously in resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. It is only an application of the principles of Panchsheel which can move those who stand in the path of peace and stability from their present stance of obduracy to the path of a peaceful negotiated resolution. We are happy that efforts in this direction are being made by the NAM Committee on Palestine, of which we are a member.
Non-alignment itself is an embodiment of the principles of Panchsheel. One of the best definitions of non-alignment that I have come across is by Dr. Richard Von Weizsacker, the immensely respected former President of Germany. He said: "Nehru was among the first and foremost to look for a non-bloc internationalism. His idea of non-alignment was aiming at more than distance from blocs. It was a denial of the gist of bloc thinking, an endeavour to detect inside those blocs growing trends of openness, of looking for common interests, of conditions of how to survive together. Nehru’s non-alignment policy is not a means to prevent cooperation. It is, on the contrary, an invitation never to give up the search for new ways leading to peaceful coexistence, détente, and reconciliation."
We have, in recent times, also seen an application of selective criteria relating to human rights by the UN Security Council in relation to countries of West Asia and North Africa. This, of course, is contrary to the principles of the Charter which enshrines the rights of all nations to choose their own path while interacting with others on the sound basis of mutual respect and equality.
And what can be a better framework for furthering relations with Pakistan than the five principles of Panchsheel? Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru categorically said so in a statement he made in the Indian Parliament in 1956 and I quote "In all goodwill and earnestness, I offer Panchsheel to the Prime Minister of Pakistan and I have every faith that if we base our dealings with one another on these five principles, the nightmare of fear and suspicion will fade away". Over the last year or so, both India and Pakistan have embarked on a process of confidence building, enhancing interaction and cooperation so as to create an atmosphere conducive to giving an even firmer basis to the relationship. Needless to say, an end to the atmosphere of violence and terrorism would have to be an essential part of this process.
The 19th century was sold on the idea that progress is inherent in history. The 20th century, with its two world wars and its awful toll of death and destruction, showed that this was not necessarily true. If the 21st century is to be morally and materially different from the 20th, then we need a new paradigm of international relations. On this occasion, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Panchsheel, I would request all the distinguished participants to reflect on how we can offer that new paradigm through the principles of Panchsheel. Panchsheel may not be a panacea for all the ills afflicting mankind, but it certainly provides a road map that promises to usher in an era of friendly and mutually rewarding inter-state relations. In 1954, the world was too intent on pursuing the path of confrontation to consider the alternative path that Panchsheel represented. Now, fifty years later, in a world still searching for moral certainties, Panchsheel represents a moral compass. Thus, to borrow an analogy from the marketplace, our product is time tested and very good, but how do we repackage it for the consumer of today - that is the question this Conference needs to deliberate on.
I wish the Seminar all success. "
(Release ID :4934)