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Vajpayee talks of a new global order

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Wednesday expressed hope that the strength of the Indo-Russian relations will prevail in the creation of a global order which fosters international peace, security and stability.

Addressing a special meeting of both Houses of Parliament, organised in honour of the visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, the prime minister said both countries have given a formal shape to their relations by signing the declaration on strategic partnership.

He said it was of significance that the views of both India and the Russian federation overlap and intersect on a wide range of international issues.

The prime minister also referred to the need for reform of the United Nations. "We welcome Russia's continued support to India's candidature for permanent membership in an expanded United Nation's Security Council," he said.

Vajpayee made a mention to the dangers of international terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.

He said these dangers did not recognise borders and affected all. "Terrorism cannot be allowed to become an instrument of state policy. The international community should resolve to overcome these challenges through concerted efforts," he added.

The prime minister said India and Russia shared common concerns and had common interests. "The history of the past five decades demonstrates that close Indo-Russian understanding is essential to peace and stability in Asia and the world. This is what makes us strategic partners. Our friendship is not based on short-term calculations, but transcends the twists and turns of history and politics," he added.

The prime minister referred to Putin's having talked of goodness of man in shaping relations in society and between states. "This is what democracy is all about: empowering the people and releasing their creative energies."

Regarding the ongoing economic reforms, Vajpayee said India has had some success in its efforts at building a modern economy while ensuring distributive justice.

India had consistently striven for global disarmament and had been in the forefront of all international efforts in this direction, he added.

Welcoming the Russian President to Parliament, Rajya Sabha Chairman Krishan Kant spoke of the technological horizons that the two countries together were capable of creating in the 21st century.

He said India and the Russian Federation were home to some of the highest achievements of the human mind and spirit. "We will not allow this to be wantonly destroyed by those self serving merchants of death," he said.

"Both our countries have suffered the destructive consequences of this ferocious phenomenon, which wears several garbs -- now religious, now ethnic, now regional and, often times, all of them," he added.

Kant also referred to the process of strengthening of relations between the two countries, starting with the signing of the friendship treaty between India and Russia in 1971.

In his address, Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi said both India and Russia were committed to the cause of world peace and a democratic and just global order. "We believe in a multi-polar world where nations co-exist peacefully, and where progress, prosperity and development is ensured," he said.

UNI

The Putin visit: The full coverage

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