SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R. NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, AT THE BANQUET HOSTED BY HIS MAJESTY
KING BIRENDRA BIR BIKRAM SHAH DEV, KING OF NEPAL
THURSDAY,MAY 28,
1998
Your Majesty King Birendra
Bir Bikram Shah Dev,
Your Majesty Queen
Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah,
Your Royal Highness
Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev,
Your Royal Highnesses,
Honoured Guests,
On my first visit
as President to this beautiful Himalayan Kingdom may I convey the greetings
and good wishes of the Government and the people of India to Your Majesty's
Government and the friendly people of Nepal. From the moment we set our
feet on the soil of Nepal we have been overwhelmed by the warmth of the
welcome that we have received. I thank you sincerely, on behalf of my
wife, my delegation, and myself for the kind words you have said about
us and our country. Your Majesty, I am touched by your generous hospitality
and by the gracious presence of Her Majesty the Queen and of the well
known figures of Nepal's public life whose names are familiar to our people
in India.
India and Nepal have
been linked over the ages by enduring bonds of geography and history and
by silken ties of culture, beliefs, language and custom. I recall that
in my school days in the princely State of Travancore we used to look
up to Nepal as a mystic kingdom and as an oasis of independence in the
sub-continent. And thousands of Indians used to come, and still do, seeking
spiritual solace at the holy Temple of Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, and
at Lumbini where Prince Siddhartha, the Buddha, was born. Every Indian
who comes to Nepal is a pilgrim of one kind or another. I have come myself,
Your Majesty, on a pilgrimage of friendship in quest of even greater understanding
and co-operation between our two great countries.
We cannot, Your Majesty,
forget the roots of our friendship and of our common culture. The winds
of free trade and the waves of information technology are welcome and
invigorating, but as Gandhiji warned, we must refuse to be swept off our
feet by them; we must hold on to the essentials of our culture and self-reliance
acquired over the ages, even while we modernize and globalize.
Both our countries
are passing through a process of liberalisation, economic reforms, and
opening up to the world. We are whole heartedly devoted to this process
which is a world-wide phenomenon. At the same time we believe that we
have to safeguard the interests of the poor and the underprivileged in
our society and the stability of our pluralist State. There are no two
countries in the world whose economies are more complementary, whose cultures
are more akin and whose borders are more open to one another than India
and Nepal, and at the same time, who desire more ardently to maintain
their own identities and sovereignties inviolate. In this sense the concept
of co-operation between our two countries offers a model for the multipolar
pluralist one-world that is emerging.
Both India and Nepal
are blessed with rich natural resources. Our needs are also commensurate
in scale. It should be possible for us, as neighbours with an understanding
of each others' needs to use our resources that have remained largely
under-exploited and under-utilized to meet the crying developmental and
consumption needs of our two countries. Our Governments are earnestly
engaged in the harnessing of these resources for our mutual benefit. Let
us ensure that misgivings and apprehensions do not stand in the way of
our realising these larger and nobler objectives of co-operation.
Our two-way trade,
which has increased over the years, is poised to grow further. I am delighted
to announce that the road transit route from Nepal to Bangladesh through
Phulbari in India will now be available for all seven days of the week.
This acceptance by India of Nepal's proposal is another example of the
close understanding and co-operation between India and Nepal.
Your Majesty, I am
of the firm conviction that the destiny of South Asia and of the one-sixth
of the human race inhabiting this region, depends on the success of SAARC.
Kathmandu is the headquarters of the Secretariat of SAARC. I hope that
in spite of all the obstacles, SAARC will grow from strength to strength.
In this context we appreciate the initiatives taken by Nepal for sub-regional
co-operation under the auspices of SAARC among Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal
and India. We are also fully supportive of another sub-regional grouping
BIMST - Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand - which I hope
Nepal will join. India, Your Majesty, is dedicated to the policy of friendship
and co-operation in the region and to the speedy realization of the dream
of South Asian Regional Co-operation. But terrorism, which has emerged
as a world wide phenomenon, and which is becoming a serious threat to
the lives of innocent men, women and children as well as to the peace
and stability of States, is incompatible with our objectives of co-operation,
be it bilateral, regional or international. We are appreciative of the
co-operation extended by successive Governments of Nepal to fight this
menace.
India, Your Majesty,
has, from the start of our independence, advocated and worked for peace
and co-operation in Asia and the world. India was the first to call for
a ban on nuclear testing in 1954, for a non-discriminatory treaty on 'non-proliferation'
in 1965, for a treaty on non-use of nuclear weapons in 1978, for a nuclear
freeze in 1982, and for a phased programme of complete elimination of
nuclear weapons in 1988. But these calls had gone unheeded. We are determined
to continue our efforts for the elimination of nuclear weapons from the
arsenals of nations. We believe that we are in a position to-day to pursue
that objective with greater credibility and persuasiveness in the councils
of the world.
Your Majesty, India
and Nepal are vibrant democracies. Nepal's multi-party democracy has already
demonstrated its vitality and strength. Nepal is fortunate to have in
Your Majesty a leader of wisdom and experience to give guidance and direction
to this vitality, and to have in its monarchy a constitutional centre
of stability. You can, Your Majesty, count upon the sister democracy of
India to show understanding and support to the concerns of Nepal and the
aspirations of its people.
May I request to
raise your glasses in a toast :
- to the Health of
His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Her Majesty Queen Aishwarya
Devi,
- to the Happiness
and Well-being of the people of Nepal,
- to the Eternal
Friendship between our two peoples and countries.
Thank you
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