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Peace in Iran, Afghanistan vital for India: Salman

SYED YASIR. Dated: 6/30/2013 11:19:40 AM

SRINAGAR, June 29: External affairs minister Salman Khurshid today said stability in Afghanistan and Iran is vital for New Delhi for getting access to Central Asian republics to meet domestic energy requirements.
Speaking during a seminar at Kashmir University on “Cooperation, Development, Peace and Security in Central Asia” he said, central Asian republics have abundance hydrocarbon resources which can lead to solve the growing energy requirements in growing economy like India.
“New Delhi is looking at re-energising the national North-South Corridor to connect India with Central Asia and Russia through Iran, we are looking at trans-Afghan routes using Iranian port of Chahabar particularly to get access to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and other south Asian republics. We are looking at a rail link from Kazakhstan to Turkmenistan into Iran also,” he said.
The foreign affairs minister admitted that Iran and Afghanistan are very crucial for them to reach out energy requirements from central Asia.
“For India, Iran and Afghanistan are very critical for us. We hope that within our philosophical approach of being friends, we get Afghanistan back to a stable situation. Afghanistan will then become a bridge for us to central Asia and Iran as well,” he said.
Salman also expressed his hope that Iran will be able to resolve its nuclear energy issues with the European Union to normalize its relationship with other countries.
“Once Iran will be able to find a solution with European Union on nuclear energy, it will become an important link between us and Central Asia. It will give us far greater access to Central Asia than we have now,” he said.
He said that New Delhi is closely watching the ongoing development related to the peace process in Afghanistan, knowing that its peace will benefit the entire region.
“We have been watching the developments very carefully and close scrutiny the developments in Doha also about the possibility of a conversation and dialogue between Taliban and High Peace Council of Afghanistan,” he said.
The external affairs minister said it was not possible for anybody from outside to conjure a successful peace architecture for Afghanistan or any other part of the world.
“We believe that the peace formula must come from within. Despite repeated invitations, India believes it must restrain itself to a point which is consistent with our philosophy and allow the Afghan people to choose their own destiny,” he said.
Salman said New Delhi will continue its reconstruction and development of Afghanistan and expects the government in that country to deliver on issues like drug trafficking, religious extremism and fundamentalism.
“We will also help Afghans in completing the parliament building, which will be ready in three months. We will help them build the dams, we will help them build the roads but they must populate the Parliament with the voices of Afghan people. We shouldn’t impose any preconceived notions of democracy. We can share our experiences but at the end it has to be their own decision,” he said.
Salman said New Delhi is expecting that Afghan government on deliver on drug trafficking issues and fundamentalism and religious extremism. “It is very important that we really understand religious extremism and fundamentalism are not something that hurts only one society. It is a fundamental challenge to our human values and aspiration for peace,” he added.
He said in case India has to grow at 8 to 10 percent, it needs to look at alternative sources of energy which are clean as well as allow greater self-reliance. “Whether we will be able to increase that is something that is still in the air. People have different view on nuclear power plants. Till we are able to move on to an alternative solution to our energy problems, we cannot wait for energy to be made available,” he said.
Salman said although the carbon emissions in India are a fraction of those of the developed world like the US and the European Union, but it will grow “if we continue to rely on conventional forms of energy and we continue to aspire to grow at eight per cent or 10 percent.”
He said the government is working on several things, including a liberalised visa regime with Central Asian countries, to enable “more convenient and liberal access to people on both sides to travel”.
Salman said India has done reasonably well in food processing, data processing, renovation and upgradation of hydroelectric power plants, computerisation of post offices and IT centres of excellence in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.”