By IANS
Shillong : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Saturday took India's foreign policy to the people by calling for evolving a mechanism in which civil society is involved in framing foreign policies for strengthening bilateral and regional ties, especially to boost India's 'Look East' policy.
"We need a mechanism in which civil society is constantly appraised of foreign policies that could affect our bilateral and regional relations," Mukherjee said here while speaking at a lecture titled "Geography as an Opportunity".
The much-hyped meet was nearly cancelled due to inclement weather with the minister arriving more than three hours late.
The meeting, organised by the public diplomacy division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), focussed on the Look East policy aimed at developing closer relations with the economic tigers of South-East Asia.
"Recognising the pre-eminent role of our northeastern states in the economic and political development of India, I decided to launch the initiative from Shillong," Mukherjee said.
"Today's event, the first of its kind, is informed by the thinking that the northeast in particular is one region into whose progress and development we can dovetail India's Look East policy."
"Information and communication technology revolutions have virtually shrunk the globe and geography is no longer a buffer," he said of the man-made borders that the northeast shares with some of the Southeast Asian nations.
"Most of us are familiar with traditional diplomacy where governments negotiate with governments. Globalisation, however, demands a paradigm shift in the manner in which we conduct foreign policy," Mukherjee said.
After delivering the keynote address, the minister opened the floor for questions – an interesting, interactive session in which participants from academics to business people and journalists took part.
"The whole idea of this interactive session was to get crucial feedbacks from the people on important issues," a senior MEA official, who accompanied the minister, said.
"We shall surely take note of some of the relevant suggestions put forward with respect to the Look East policy and other matters."
The exercise by the MEA was significant as the policy is expected to have a significant bearing on the northeast.
Enunciated in the 1990s by then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, the much-hyped Look East policy had its genesis in the end of the Cold War following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Indian government made a shift in its foreign policy when it embarked on a programme of free market restructuring at home and sought new markets and economic partners abroad – primarily Southeast Asia – because of the geographical contiguity of the northeast with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.
"The meeting gave us a chance to air our views on the Look East policy, besides helping us know what the policy framers have in mind about the region," said A. Lyngdoh, a local tribal leader.