INDIA'S PARTICIPATION IN ASIA-PACIFIC SECURITY CONFERENCE

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Lok Sabha

Defence Minister Shri George Fernandes represented India in the meeting of Asia – Pacific Security Conference held in Singapore from May 31 to June 03 this year. The theme at the Conference was "Security Challenges of the Asia Pacific Region".

The conference was successfully used by the Raksha Mantri to project India’s case in its ongoing fight against cross border terrorism. The Minister explained the Indian stance regarding Indo-Pak tensions, India’s commitment to ‘no first use’ of nuclear weapons and the need for the world community to tackle the menace of state sponsored terrorism. Several bi-lateral discussions held by Shri Fernandes during the Conference, helped in building diplomatic opinion in favour of India in its fight against cross border terrorism.

Separate sessions were devoted to the US strategy; China’s military doctrine and approach; managing terrorist threat in South East Asia; Non proliferation challenges in the Asia Pacific and perspectives on the organization of Asian security.

Under these broad topics, the discussions focused on traditional regional tensions and differences such as US-China vis-à-vis Taiwan & the Koreas; terrorism with its global reach; proliferation challenges including weapons of mass destruction; prospects of an Indo-Pak conflict that could cross the nuclear threshold.

This information was given by the Defence Minister Shri George Fernandes in a written reply to Shri Vilas Muttemwar and Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde in Lok Sabha today.