On the very first day of his office after joining the Cabinet as India’s External Affairs Minister, Mr K Natwar Singh noted that since the time he first entered South Block in 1953, “the world has changed, India has changed, we have changed. The international agenda has changed. The framework of broad approach and consensus in foreign policy has survived all these years, broadly speaking.” India’s vital national interests and not any dogma will guide the country’s foreign policy, Mr Natwar Singh asserted, while spelling out the new government’s world view and its diplomatic priorities.

He clearly indicated that the foreign policy of the new government would be marked by continuity rather than change. Especially in the context of Pakistan the New Delhi will maintain its strong commitment to the peace process. Asserting that the dialogue would not be slowed down, he recently said: “I am sorry to disappoint those who thought the dialogue is not going ahead. The dialogue will not be stalled at all.”

The coalition government, christened as United Progressive Alliance (UPA), is likely to pursue an independent foreign policy, keeping in mind its past traditions. India, especially under Congress rule, has always sought to promote multi-polarity in world relations and oppose all attempts at unilateralism. Presently the highest priority of the UPA government will be to building closer political, economic and other ties with its neighbours in South Asia and to strengthen SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation). Particular attention will be paid to regional projects in the area of water resources, power and ecological conservation. The dialogue with Pakistan on all issues will be pursued systematically and on a sustained basis.

India will support the ongoing peace talks in Sri Lanka, with a view to the legitimate aspirations of Tamils and religious minorities within the territorial integrity and solidarity of Sri Lanka.

The congress government has made it very clear in the beginning only that special care will be taken to strengthen the ties with immediate neighbours. The efforts will be made to resolve outstanding issues with Bangladesh. There are chances that an intensive dialogue will be initiated with Nepal for developing water resources to mutual advantage.

The trade and business with China will be expanded further and talks on the border issue will be pursued seriously. Relationships with East Asian countries will be intensified. Traditional ties with West Asia will be given a fresh trust. The UPA Government reiterates India’s decades-old commitment to the cause of the Palestinian people for a homeland of their own.

In the context of India’s relation with the USA, while it will pursue closer engagements and relations with the world’s only super power, the UPA Government will try to maintain the independence of India’s foreign policy position on all regional and global issues. The new government is committed to deepening ties with Russia and Europe as well. The UPA Government will play a proactive role in strengthening the emerging solidarity of developing countries in the shape of G-20 in the WTO.

On the tricky issue of India’s relationship with Pakistan, Mr Natwar Singh has already initiated the dialogue process. “The government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would like to remove ‘booby traps’ in the relations with Pakistan and establish trust and friendship between the two countries”, he said, adding, “It is our endeavour to see that the future of India-Pakistan relations no longer lies in the past. We can’t forget the past but neither should we be prisoners of the past.” But Singh also warned Pakistan there would be “difficulties” if its “approach is that without Kashmir, nothing can be discussed”.

Recently India’s dialogue with China on their protracted boundary dispute was put on track when Natwar Singh named National Security Advisor J.N. Dixit as the government’s interlocutor. Dixit would replace his predecessor, Brajesh Mishra, as the special representative for the dialogue with his Chinese counterpart senior Vice Premier Dai Binguuo. India and China had decided to appoint “special representatives” to speed up the boundary talks during former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to China in June last year.

About India’s multifaceted relations with Israel, Mr Natwar Singh made it very clear that while New Delhi valued these ties, it would “not be at the cost of the legitimate rights and aspirations of our Palestinian friends”.