SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE RECEIVING CREDENTIALS FROM MR. ELYES KASRI,
AMBASSADOR DESIGNATE OF TUNISIA
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
Excellency,
It gives
me great pleasure to accept your Credentials as the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tunisia. I heartily welcome you
to India and extend my sincere congratulations on your appointment to
this position of high status and responsibility.
Both India
and Tunisia share age old relationship. Our people are no strangers to
each other. Names of the cities of Carthage and Kairouan, and great thinkers
like St. Augustine and Abdur Rehman Ibn Khaldoun are known to the entire
world and certainly to the people of India. They have made a lasting contribution
to the intellectual heritage of the world.
It is a
tribute to the wisdom, vision and farsightedness of the leadership and
people that in modern Tunisia various strands of culture and religion
have come together to form a strong and beautiful canvas. Tolerance is
the basic tenet of both of our societies, and both of us believe in combining
tradition with modernity, change with continuity and zealously safeguarding
citizen’s Human Rights.
The emphasis
placed by Tunisia on education has enabled it to create a huge reservoir
of skilled and trained manpower. This, coupled with the policy of moderation,
has helped Tunisia to achieve stability and prosperity. It is no secret
that Tunisia is one of the most stable and well-managed economies of the
region, a fact which is greatly admired in India. Tunisia continues to
move towards social, political and economic stability and growth.
The economies
of India and Tunisia have certain comparative advantages and resources
which can be optimally utilised to promote and diversify economic cooperation
between the two countries. We feel that considerable scope exists for
meaningful cooperation in areas like fertilizers, information technology,
bio-technology, drugs and pharmaceuticals, etc.
Excellency,
the unprecedented terrorist attacks on the United States of 11 September
have focussed the international attention to the menace of terrorism as
never before. India’s response to these attacks was predicated both by
the pain of its own experience with persistent cross-border terrorism
and our strong commitment to mobilise international efforts in combating
this scourge of modern society. We are aware that the war against terrorism
will be a lengthy campaign and it must target the entire global network.
As terrorism feeds on its own successes, our collective resolve and clarity
of purpose in fighting terrorism must remain undiministed, regardless
of where terrorism strikes and who it chooses as its target.
India has
consistently sought to play a catalytic role in encouraging the UN to
prioritise the need for international cooperation to combat terrorism.
We see the recent Security Council Resolution 1373 as a signal of the
determination by the international community to combat terrorism, whenever
and wherever it occurs and we are committed to implement it whole-heartedly.
Excellency,
India’s strong defence of Arab rights continues to remain the basic tenet
of its foreign policy. We consider the Arab world as an extension of our
neighbourhood and, therefore, we are interested in peace and stability
in the region. In our view, Palestinian issue is at the core of Arab-Israel
conflict. A just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region can only
be established on the basis of relevant UN Resolutions and the principle
of ‘Land for Peace’. We believe that there is no alternative to peace.
I wish
you an enjoyable and productive stay in India and assure you the fullest
cooperation of my government in your endeavour to further promote Indo-Tunisian
friendship. I would also like to take this opportunity to convey my best
wishes to H.E. Mr. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. I hope that he will be able
to visit us in not too distant future. I am confident that his State Visit
to India will be an important landmark in our bilateral ties and will
impart further depth and momentum to our cooperation.
Thank you
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