By IRNA,
New Delhi : Expressing support for Palestine in its struggle for self-determination, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor Wednesday hoped for a just and comprehensive peace to be achieved for Palestinians.
Speaking at the International Conference on ‘Beyond The Meltdown: Search For Options’ organized by Indo-Arab Economic Cooperation Forum in New Delhi, Tharoor said he hoped a just and comprehensive solution could be achieved for Palestinians, resulting in a “sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine.”
He said India also hopes to see a resolution to tensions in the region through dialogue.
“Continued expansion of settlements is not helpful to the resumption of the peace process,” he added.
“India has always stood by the Palestinian people in pursuit of their legitimate goals and their efforts aimed at economic and social development with dignity and self reliance,” said Tharoor.
Speaking on the occasion President Indo-Arab Economic Co-operation Forum, Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam said: “India has age-old historical ties with the Arab World and the Persian Gulf countries. We can further strengthen these ties of brotherhood through harmonious economic, social, educational and cultural ties.”
In India and the Arab world, we have to maximise the opportunities that globalization is creating to ensure that there is ‘inclusive and all-round’ growth in our regions.
“The economic recession and meltdown have adversely affected the developed world through 2008-09. Waves of instability and insecurity have shaken up their institutions and their confidence,” said Dr. Manzoor.
He said that there is now a perceptible shift of power towards the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China. In Asia, and more specifically in India, we were relatively sheltered from this financial chaos and havoc. Quite clearly, there is a lesson that the world needs learn from the Asian and Indian experience. India has an important role to play in the world of tomorrow as slowly but steadily, India is moving to centre-stage.
What India needs are long term investment partnerships with friendly countries from the Arab World, said Alam, adding that these long-term partnerships in manufacturing, trade and commerce, services and social development can be a win-win situation for all stakeholders.
Beside, Dr. Samir Q. Fakhro, V-C, Arab Open University and Advisor to UN for IT and Education, Bahrain, the two-day conference was attended by distinguished diplomats, delegates, academics and guests from all over the world.