SHIFT IN FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS ‘RAINBOW
COOPERATION’
There would be no
major shift in India’s foreign policy. However, since 1997 there
has been a greater focus on forging closer relationship with countries
in Latin America. As part of this effort EAM visited Brazil in
June, 2003 a first ever visit by Indian Foreign Minister to Brazil.
During this visit, apart from its bilateral component, a trilateral
meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa
was held on June 6, 2003 at which it was decided to launch the
India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum with the
aim of further enhancing South-South cooperation. The nomenclature
of this grouping is "IBSA Dialogue forum" and not "Rainbow
Cooperation".
One of the main
objectives of this Dialogue Forum is to make the views of the
South more readily heard in various international forums such
as the United Nations, world Trade Organisation, Economic and
Social council of the United Nations, etc. It is expected that
the Dialogue would strengthen interest of the developing countries
not only in the World Trade Organisation but also in the other
forums where developing and developed countries interact with
each other. The dialogue will be at the Foreign Minister level
and will be supplemented by other ministerial meeting in areas
like Science & Technology, Transportation, civil Aviation,
Defence, etc. A Summit dialogue among the three countries is envisaged
later this year. A Trilateral Joint commission has been established
to provide impetus to this trilateral cooperation in various fields.
As an immediate project, a Food Assistance Programme has been
set up at India’s initiatives to combat hunger and famine in other
countries. Through the Dialogue forum the three countries are
expected to make quick progress on their Preferential Trade Agreement/Free
Trade Agreement negotiations and then move towards an ultimate
free-trade area among themselves and among their regional groupings.
This information
was given by the Minister of State for External Affairs Shri Digvijay
Singh in the Rajya Sabha today.
