The Hindu : Foreign Ministers of India, China, Russia to meet again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 12, 2003

International

International - India & World

Foreign Ministers of India, China, Russia to meet again

By Amit Baruah

CHIANG MAI (THAILAND) OCT. 11. Trilateral cooperation between India, China and Russia at the Foreign Minister-level has received a boost with the three leaders agreeing to meet in Russia to discuss issues of interest.

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, said the proposal was floated by his Russian colleague, Igor Ivanov, at their recent three-way meeting in New York, and accepted by the Chinese Foreign Minister, Li Zhaoxing. Dates and the venue would be decided in due course.

The New York meeting was the second between the three Ministers — the first one having taken place in September 2002. Mr. Sinha spoke approvingly of the atmosphere in which the recent interaction took place. "We have set the stage for greater understanding and cooperation. We agreed that on Iraq and United Nations reform, our Permanent Missions in New York will be in close touch and work together... If there is any issue, the Foreign Ministers will talk about that." Mr. Sinha said:

"Quite clearly the atmosphere last year was somewhat difficult. The Chinese Foreign Minister (then Tang Jiaxuan) came late and made an immediate exit the moment the meeting was over. At the end of the meeting, apropos nothing, he raised the issue of South Asia — India-Pakistan being a nuclear flashpoint.

"Then I had to tell him that this was the surest way to put an end to such kind of cooperation by raising these issues... This year it was all very different. This time the atmospherics were very good. No contentious issues were raised."

He said the dominant theme of the New York meeting was Iraq and U.N. reform — issues that had dominated the General Assembly session. "This we discussed in some detail... Then I suggested each one of us could start doing work on areas of trilateral cooperation. This idea was welcomed."

"And, finally, the Russian Foreign Minister ended by inviting us to visit some place in Russia where we could spend a couple of days and discuss things in greater detail. This was accepted. I also told the Chinese Foreign Minister that it would be his turn to invite us for lunch (next year in New York)."

Asked if this trilateral cooperation could be elevated to the summit level, Mr. Sinha said, "We haven't thought of it so far... Let the stage be reached. These are things on which we should move with caution, patience and deliberation."

He made it clear that this trilateral "get-together" should not be seen as "ganging up" against somebody else — a nation or group of nations. The three countries had agreed that multilateralism had to be protected; multilateralism had to prevail.

On Beijing's decision to remove Sikkim from the list of "independent nations" posted on its official website, he said it was part of a programme and timeframe indicated by the Chinese side. "I have seen a statement from the Chinese spokesperson that it will be a gradual process. We have no difficulty with that process. They have their own timing and style of doing things. I think we should understand their style of functioning and wait for things to happen."

On the October 23 meeting of the Indian and Chinese Special Representatives, Brajesh Mishra and Dai Bingguo, to address the boundary issue, Mr. Sinha said they would have to discuss how to approach the problem, how they wanted to move ahead. "Discuss, I suppose, basic principles of that approach. I am hoping that in this meeting they will not merely determine that [basic principles], but they will also be able to grapple with the more substantive issues so that we are able to move forward and quickly."

On whether India's increased interaction with the ASEAN nations was due to the "Chinese factor" or simply greater engagement with the region, he said, "No, it is India engaging South-East Asia, but if China is not on our minds it is on the minds of people here." He pointed to the metaphor used by the Singapore Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, about China and India being the wings of the ASEAN "jumbo aircraft" as evidence of this.

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Foreign Ministers of India, China, Russia to meet again