Part 2 of 2: Relevancy of the Panchsheel principles

The article is adapted from the opening address delivered by the Foreign Minister of India, K. Natwar Singh at the international seminar in New Delhi organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs on Nov. 18, 2004. The event was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Panchsheel, the five principles of peaceful co-existence. These principles are: 1. Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty; 2. Mutual non-aggression; 3. Mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs; 4. Equality and mutual benefit; and 5. Peaceful co-existence.

To advance the noble principles underlying Panchsheel, we need an international order based on genuine multilateralism. At the core of multilateralism, is respect for the views of all States and the belief in resolution of differences and conflicts through a process of dialogue and conciliation. If unilateralism denotes adhocness, domination and insensitivity for the views of others, multilateralism connotes order, sovereign equality and acceptance of diversity.

Strengthening multilateralism as a process and the UN as its central embodiment is therefore a natural outcome of our belief in Panchsheel, in today's world. The global fight against the scourge of international terrorism is a practical, modern day rationale for a new international order based on equality, justice and tolerance.

There is universal recognition that this fight can only be successful if there are no double standards and if there is complete multilateral and, indeed, global cooperation. We have also understood that there is no alternative to acceptance of "peaceful co-existence" in a world facing the threat of annihilation if Weapons of Mass Destruction are used either by irresponsible states or intolerant non-state actors.

We recognize the imperative of working with each other for mutual benefit. Be it trade or finance or technology, in a globalised world 'equality and mutual benefit' find reflection in the imperative need to ensure that the benefits of globalization are enjoyed not by few, but by all and that globalization leads to all around peace and prosperity. Globalization should not become a pretext for the 'strong overpowering the weak'.

Instead, it should pave the way for "a federation of friendly inter-dependent nations", where no one dominates or exploits the other, as Prime Minister Nehru envisaged. The relevance of Panchsheel lies in the dignity and strength that it lends to the voice of smaller nations safeguarding their core concerns and placing at their command peaceful means to minimize the marginalisation of their economies in the emerging world order. Panchsheel can thus become a powerful force for the promotion of both democracy and development.

India continues to play an active role in this process. We are not only a founder members of the UN, but are a major contributor in ideas, activities and personnel including peacekeepers. In redefining the world order, we believe that India has to play an even larger role in the decision making structures of the UN and bring to the table, the perspectives of developing countries. We will continue to strive for a better and more equitable world order based on these principles.

Let us see now the practical expression of Panchsheel in India's own relationships with other countries. As the co-author of Panchsheel with China, India has taken initiatives for a stable, mutually cooperative and beneficial relationship with China. If the 21 st century is going to be the century of Asia, then India and China have a special role to play in promoting the concepts espoused by Panchsheel.

It is true to the spirit and character of Panchsheel that both countries, over the last decade and more, have embarked upon the path of developing a long-term constructive and cooperative partnership. India wants a strong and enduring friendship with China, on the basis of Panchsheel -- mutual respect and sensitivity to each other's concerns and aspirations, and equality.

As two ancient civilizations, which in contemporary times are also the two largest developing countries, India and China share a great responsibility to strengthen and provide further impetus to Panchsheel through the examples set by their own cooperation as well as their conduct of international relations.

The mainspring of Panchsheel is multilateralism and mutual beneficence. If trust, friendship and peace are the denominators of a quotable relationship in international affairs, then the last five decades bear witness that India-Russia relations qualify very well for it.

No wonder, it was out of this conviction that India and Russia declared in November 2003, at their Annual Summit in Moscow, that "greater interaction and mutual respect among diverse societies and cultures will lead both to enrichment of these cultures as well as to enhanced harmony and security in the world. In this era of globalization, it is by preserving pluralism that true multipolarity -- in its political and economic as also social and cultural dimensions -- will be attained".

And what can be a better framework for furthering relations with Pakistan than the five principles of Panchsheel? Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru categorically said so in a statement he made in the Indian Parliament in 1956 and I quote "In all goodwill and earnestness, I offer Panchsheel to the Prime Minister of Pakistan and I have every faith that if we base our dealings with one another on these five principles, the nightmare of fear and suspicion will fade away".

Over the last year or so, both India and Pakistan have embarked on a process of confidence building, enhancing interaction and cooperation so as to create an atmosphere conducive to giving an even firmer basis to the relationship. Needless to say, an end to the atmosphere of violence and terrorism would have to be an essential part of this process.

The 19th century was sold on the idea that progress is inherent in history. The 20th century, with its two world wars and its awful toll of death and destruction, showed that this was not necessarily true. If the 21st century is to be morally and materially different from the 20th, then we need a new paradigm of international relations.

On this celebration of the 50th anniversary of Panchsheel, we should on how we can offer that new paradigm through the principles of Panchsheel. Panchsheel may not be a panacea for all the ills afflicting humankind, but it certainly provides a road map that promises to usher in an era of friendly and mutually rewarding inter-state relations.

In 1954, the world was too intent on pursuing the path of confrontation to consider the alternative path that Panchsheel represented. Now, fifty years later, in a world still searching for moral certainties, Panchsheel represents a moral compass. Thus, to borrow an analogy from the marketplace, our product is time tested and very good, but how do we repackage it for the consumer of today -- that is the question we need to deliberate on.