India to raise terrorism at NAM Summit in Venezuela

16 September, New Delhi

Amid rising dreaded attacks across the globe, India will raise the issue of terrorism during the 17th Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Venezuela, which will be held on September 17-18, 2016.

While en-route to Venezuela to participate at the NAM Summit, vice-president M Hamid Ansari, said, “The NAM is an important forum, and that India would certainly raise the issue of terrorism, as it has been raising in other fora. Terror is something which impedes everything. Our objective is development and for that we need peace, both at the domestic and international level.”

”These things are being interrupted by terrorism and therefore has to be addressed,” he added.

Responding to a question on whether there had been a change in country’s foreign policy, the vice-president said, “Our foreign policy, like domestic policies, is intended to achieve a set of objectives and to determine the best methodology for doing so. Methodologies may be adjusted or may undergo a change but the objective of representing India’s interests does not change.”

He also said that development is the key priority for each of the countries in the NAM group, and that accordingly, the theme of peace, sovereignty and solidarity for development had been chosen as the theme for this year’s summit.

Placing the upcoming NAM Summit within the historical context, Ansari said that Non-Aligned Summits or the Movement itself were not new to India, having been part of the group since its founding in 1961. Though the concerns of member-states in 1961 were primarily those of securing independence in the context of decolonisation, over the years the agenda has partially changed in keeping with the times, he added.

One priority has, however, remained constant for the NAM grouping and for each and every member country is that of ensuring development, the vice-president said.