Official Spokesperson (Shri Vikas Swarup): Good afternoon friends and welcome to this weekly press briefing.I think I am going to begin today with the bilateral meetings that Prime Minister had yesterday on which I could not really give you detailed inputs because it was already late by the time we finished the closing session of the India Africa Forum Summit yesterday.Secretary (West) gave you a in-depth picture of the two documents that were adopted yesterday- the Political Declaration and the India-Africa Framework for Strategic Cooperation. So, I am not going to touch that. I am just going to go straight into the bilaterals that the Prime Minister had yesterday with the African leaders. As you know, on the 28th he had 19 bilateral meetings and yesterday he had 10 more bilateral meetings. So, the total number of bilateral meetings that the Prime Minister has had has now reached 29 and then at the end I am going to tell you the meetings that are scheduled for today in Hyderabad House.
The Prime Minister’s first bilateral meeting yesterday was with His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco. Prime Minister commended him for his modernist vision and the progress that Morocco has achieved. His Majesty said that Morocco wanted to learn from India’s experience. Turning to economic issues, he said Morocco was very attractive for institutional investors. It also had a very large sovereign wealth fund. The Prime Minister outlined some of the initiatives the Government had taken to attract more FDI and sovereign wealth funds including the provision of infrastructure bonds. He said that India needed phosphate for fertilizers and Morocco had an abundance of phosphate, so cooperation in this area would be a win-win partnership. His Majesty said, ‘Of course, we welcome India’s cooperation in the area of phosphate but going beyond phosphates, we should also chalk out areas of cooperation in agriculture and in industry.’ In fact, he suggested the formation of a high level joint commission to take bilateral relations to a new level. The Prime Minister totally agreed with this suggestion. Finally, His Majesty invited the Prime Minister to visit Morocco. As you may be aware, the last high level visit from India to Morocco was by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999. The Prime Minister said he would definitely consider visiting Morocco.
The Prime Minister’s next meeting was with Dr. Hage Geingob, the President of the Republic of Namibia. Discussions focused on defence, energy and agriculture. The Prime Minister said that our agriculturists would definitely consider taking up projects in Namibia. There was also a discussion on UN Security Council reform with the President of Namibia saying that powerful countries like India should be in the Security Council.
The Prime Minister’s third meeting was with Mr. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. This, as you know, was the second meeting in two months.They had last met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly Session in New York in September.The Prime Minister thanked president Sisi for attending the Summit which he said would have been incomplete without Egypt. The President Sisi said that even though the Summit was coinciding with Parliamentary elections in Egypt, yet he made it appoint to be present for this very important occasion. He said that there were very sound historical foundations of the friendship with India and he wanted to reinforce and develop it and take bilateral relations to a much higher and broader level. He referred to Indian investments in Egypt and said that Egypt would welcome more such joint ventures. He referred to the new Suez Canal as a complete corridor of integrated development and said that numerous industrial zones in Egypt would be very attractive to Indian businesses. He sought closer cooperation with India in the political, economic, security and defence fields. The Prime Minister said we could also assist in agriculture, human resources development, animal husbandry and dairy. There was a discussion on the developments in the Middle East and the need for more active counter-terrorism cooperation. The Prime Minister said that we must isolate all forms of terrorism and in this context he referred to the need to finalize the comprehensive convention on international terrorism. The Prime Minister congratulated the President Sisi on Egypt becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and said that we must work together for UN Security Council reform to obtain permanent seats for Africa and India.The Prime Minister referred to the India-Arab League ministerial meeting which is scheduled to be held in Manama in December and hoped that the Egyptian Foreign Minister would also be present for this important meeting. As you are aware, President Sisi in a goodwill gesture agreed to the release of two long-term Indian prisoners in Egypt who had been in jail for 16 and 22 years.They will be extradited to India under the Transfer of Sentenced Persons agreement.
The next meeting Prime Minister had was with the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania Mr. Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz who thanked the Government of India for funding projects in his country relating to milk factory, drilling for water wells, rural electrification and clean energy. He welcomed Prime Minister’s initiative towards promoting use of solar and clean energy. Mauritania he said is a pioneer in this area in this region and would like to collaborate with India. The Prime Minister invited him to join the solar alliance that he will launch in Paris on the sidelines of the COP-21. The President of Mauritania said that his country was rich in iron, gold, copper and oil which were available for Indian investment. He sought India’s assistance in developing the power sector which could boost mining activities. He also sought to learn from India’s green revolution in the area of agriculture.Finally, and this is important, Mauritania said that it would be opening a Mission shortly in New Delhi and he requested that India should try and set up a similar resident Mission in Mauritania.
The next meeting the Prime Minister had was with the President of the Republic of Mali Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita who thanked the Prime Minister for India’s development assistance and lines of credit. He sought increased assistance for reconstruction and growth of Mali which has been badly affected by terrorist activities.He sought India’s assistance in counter-terrorism. Prime Minister commended Malian efforts to fight terror and to steer the country towards increased growth and offered India’s full assistance. The President of Mali said that he would like to return to India on a full bilateral visit. He also invited the Prime Minister to visit Mali and said that when he comes, he would specially take him to Timbuktu which is a cultural heritage site and which the terrorists have been wanting to blow up.
The next meeting was with the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn who said that he visited India more than a dozen times since he was a professor at a University and thereafter as Foreign Minister and then as Deputy Prime Minister. His wife had also studied in India. He recalled that India and Ethiopia have a historic relationship and it has always been a very friendly relationship. Ethiopia has emulated Indian democracy and federalism and entire generations of Ethiopians have been taught by Indian teachers, he said.In terms of the modern partnership, he referred to the 150 Indian companies who are currently active in Ethiopia and he said he wanted more. He sought India’s assistance in capacity building agro-processing, pharma and IT.He also invited Indian investors to take advantage of the huge arable land available in Ethiopia for pulses and oilseed production. Prime Minister said that he would an expert team to visit Ethiopia.
The next meeting was with the Vice President of the Republic of Angola Manuel Domingos Vicente who referred to the deep historical times and India’s support for Angola’s independence. He sought India’s assistance in agriculture, IT, renewable energy, traditional energy, medicine, pharma and other areas. Discussions also focused on cooperation in the oil sector, particularly as the Vice President of Angola was the CEO of Sonangol for 12 years.Sonangol, as you know, is the Angolan company engaged in the oil sector. Prime Minister said that India is working as a buyer of Angolan oil but it wanted to become a partner. He referred in this context to the recent visit of the Chief of ONGC to Angola and very productive discussions that had been held there. The Vice President said that Angola was favourably inclined to the entry of Indian capital in the oil sector. It was also building a refinery and invited India to participate in the project. He said that Angola was also a major supplier of diamonds and new concessions might be available soon. Prime Minister said that India was one of the largest cutters and polishers of diamonds but we were sourcing diamonds from third parties. In this context, if we could get access to diamonds directly from Angola, then it would be a win-win situation.
The next meeting the Prime Minister had was with the Vice President of Tanzania Mr. Mohamed Gharib Bilal. He congratulated him on the election victory in the polls which had just been held, in fact on the day when the Vice President was here. The Vice President sought further lines of credit for a railway line to ease traffic congestion in Dar es Salaam and he said we could do this under PPP model. He also sought industrial incubators.Prime Minister informed him that NSIC would be visiting Tanzania in November for a feasibility study on this particular subject. Tanzania also sought cooperation in the fight again terrorism. The Vice President said that the menace of piracy had largely been tackled but the threat of terrorism loomed large. Prime Minister said that he would be happy to provide training, technology and intelligence sharing in this particular field.
Prime Minister then had a very warm meeting with the President of Federal Republic of Somalia Mr. Hasan Sheikh Mahmood who said very proudly that his is a living example of India-Africa cooperation. As you may be aware, he was a civil servant who came to India for capacity building. I am told he did his M.Ed. from Bhopal and when he went back to serve Somalia, he then set up an institute in 1998 which is now a full-fledged university with 5,000 students. The President thanked India for its peacekeeping efforts and for the role of the Indian Navy which had succeeded in controlling piracy of the coast of Somalia.He said terrorism in Somalia was now subsiding and the task of nation building had begun. However he also referred to the challenges, such as recurrent energy shortage and closure of more than 200 factories. Al Shabab which had flourished in ungovernable places was now in retreat, he said, as the government was setting up federal entities in those areas. He also referred to the trade relationship with India. Last year, he said, there were USD 200 million worth of exports to India and USD 400 million worth of imports but this was conducted largely through informal channels. He said, perhaps the time had now come for us to formalize trade arrangements. He sought India’s support in development of energy which was necessary to promote industry and he also sought assistance in the areas of agriculture and fisheries. In the area of maritime security, in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, he sought capacity building support and also for setting up vocational educational centres. Prime Minister said that India is always read to assist Somalia. We had recently trained Somali diplomats in our Foreign Service Institute. 29 mini buses were being delivered to Somalia as a part of assistance package. Prime Minister said that Somalia had considerable potential particularly in oil and gas, which was largely untapped and if the law and order situation could be controlled, then nothing could stop Somalia’s development. Prime Minister promised full cooperation in the security sector and offered to send experts.
Prime Minister’s last bilateral meeting was with the President of the Union of the Comoros Dr. Ikililou Dhoinini. There was a discussion on the USD 42 million line of credit offered by India to Comoros which is being used for setting up an 18 MW power plant in the capital city of Moroni. The President requested more scholarships particularly for Science subjects. Prime Minister said that Comoros was a maritime neighbour and we were ready to assist in all sectors. Many Comoros nationals were coming to India for medical treatment.He said that island nations like Comoros were suffering the most from climate change and in this context he invited the Comoros to join the solar alliance that he would be launching in Paris.
So, that is an update on Prime Minister’s meetings that were held yesterday and today let me tell about the meetings that the Prime Minister will be holding. He will meet Mr. Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, the President of the Republic of Sudan.He will be the first foreign dignitary.Then he will meet the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, followed by the President of the Republic of Madagascar, followed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius Sir Anirudh Jagannath, followed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda and then the Vice President of the Republic of Zambia. Thereafter, he will meet Mr. Salva Kiir, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, followed by the President of the Republic of Senegal, followed by the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, followed by the first Vice President of the Republic of Burundi, followed by the Vice President of the Republic of Gambia and his last meeting today would be with Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the President of the Republic of Liberia whose birthday as you know was yesterday and Prime Minister had publically congratulated on that. So, that I think would be the round-up of the Prime Minister’s engagement with various African leaders who came for the India-Africa summit. I am afraid I cannot brief you on the External Affairs Minister’s engagement with Foreign Ministers because she is still meeting them.Burundi has just ended and I believe Mauritius is going on as we speak. So, perhaps that will have to wait for another day. But now we can go straight into the Q&A session.
प्रश्न : गीता के डी.एन.ए. सैम्पल की रिपोर्ट आपके पास आ चुकी है। क्या उस रिपोर्ट को शेयर कर सकते हैं?
Shri Vikas Swarup: I have nothing to share with you on this aspect at the moment.
Question: The Prime Minister mentioned the solar alliance for the first time in his speech yesterday. Details are not known. Could you share with us some of the details? Out of 107 countries which get the sun for 300 days every year, how many are going to join this alliance?
Shri Vikas Swarup: We expect as broad-based a partnership as possible. Prime Minister, as you know, is passionate about solar energy. He has himself promised to increase the share of renewable in our INDCs to 40 per cent. As you know, we are building 175 GW of renewable energy capacity which includes 100 GW of solar energy. So from that point of you, as you can imagine, solar is very very important element as part of our energy mix and the idea is that those countries which are solar-rich, where the sun shines throughout the year, in those countries how can we scale up utilization of solar energy? What is the kind of technology that can help us get the maximum value out of the solar panels? For instance, what is the new technology that is coming up on the horizon in terms of solar?So the idea is really to create as broad a platform as possible for all countries to come together and really promote the use of solar and also ensure financing and technology for development in this particular area. Unfortunately, I don’t have more details. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Sources is spearheading this initiative.But in my subsequent briefings, I will try to get you more information on this.
प्रश्न : नेपाल को लेकर जो कुछ दिनों से ऑयल की और बाकी जरूरी सामानों की जो सप्लाई रोकी हुई थी, उसकी क्या पोजीशन है? दूसरा, उन्होंने चाइना के साथ ऑयल सप्लाई का एक एग्रीमेन्ट किया है। इसके बारे में इण्डिया का क्या पक्ष है?
Shri Vikas Swarup: I will come to your second question first. We have seen this reports. हमने वे रिपोर्ट्स देखी हैं कि नेपाल ने चीन के साथ समझौते पर हस्ताक्षर किये हैं। जैसा कि आप जानते हैं नेपाल का ज्यादा से ज्यादा व्यापार भारत के थ्रू होता है और जहॉं तक पेट्रोल का मामला है, नेपाल का 70 प्रतिशत पेट्रोल तो रक्सौल-वीरगंज प्वाइंट से ही जाता है। तो यह जो समझौता उन्होंने किया है, यह उस मुद्दे में कैसे मदद कर सकता है क्योंकि आप भी जानते हैं कि इस समय पेट्रोल की सप्लाई किसलिए रुकी हुई है। पेट्रोल की सप्लाई इसलिए रुकी हुई है कि नेपाल की पॉपुलेशन का एक सेक्शन उनके कॉन्स्टीट्यूशन से सहमत नहीं है, वह रोक लगाए हुए है, वह भारत से सप्लाई आने नहीं दे रहा है। तो किस प्रकार यह समझौता जो सौ प्रतिशत भारत से आ रहा है उसमें से 70 प्रतिशत जो रक्सौल वीरगंज से आ रहा है और रक्सौल वीरगंज जो अभी भी खुल नहीं पा रहा है उसमें किस तरह से मदद करेगा वह आगे देखने की बात होगी। लेकिन जहॉं तक जनरल प्रश्न आपने पूछा है तो मैं उसका अंग्रेजी में यही जवाब दूँगा कि Nepal- India trade and economic relations are multi-faceted, diverse, deep-rooted, stand on their own merit and have a natural logic. Two-third of Nepal’s international trade is with India and bulk of their third country trade passes through India. Nearly half of the foreign investment in Nepal is from India.I reiterate there is no blockade by India. Obstructions are on the Nepalese side by sections of their own population. The largest border crossing Raxaul-Beerganj which accounts for 70 per cent of our trade continues to remain closed from their side. So, several hundred cargo trucks are still passing daily through those crossing points that are open. Despite providing foreign earmarking Nepal’s daily POL requirements in full, IOC is able to deliver only about 30 per cent of the allocations on average. केवल 30 प्रतिशत ही आई.ओ.सी. नेपाल को अभी भेज पा रहा है। We have facilitated airlift of aviation turbine fuel earlier and this is important, we are ready to facilitate future similar operations and requests.We are also facilitating the rerouting of LPG bullets through those crossing points that are open. So, जैसा कि आप देख रहे हैं, हम अपनी तरफ से पूरी चेष्टा कर रहे हैं कि नेपाल को जो सामग्री पहुँचनी चाहिए पहुँचाने की हम चेष्टा कर रहे हैं परन्तु जब तक रक्सौल-वीरगंज नहीं खुलेगा- सबसे बड़ा चोक प्वाइंट तो वही है- जब तक उस प्वाइंट को नहीं खोलेंगे, तब तक बाकी प्वाइंट से जितना हो सकता है हम भेजेंगे, पर जैसा कि आप देख रहे हैं 30 प्रतिशत ही इस समय पी.ओ.एल. जा पा रहा है।
Question: Can we have any details here on Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to the U.K. and a completely unrelated question to you is if you have the figure of the total amount of money that was spent on the India-Africa Summit?
Shri Vikas Swarup: I have no answers on both those questions. The U.K. visit, as you know these are announced in coordination with the host countries. So, India and U.K. will agree as to what is the date on which we will announce the visit and that is when we will give you the details of the visit.
Question (Venkatesh, Dinamani, Tamil Daily): When will the detained fishermen from Sri Lanka be released? When will the next joint meeting take place?
Shri Vikas Swarup: As you know, there are presently 120 fishermen who are detained in Sri Lanka. There are also 36 Sri Lankan fishermen who are detained in India and we continue to try for their release through diplomatic channels. That is all I can say at this stage. This is a complex issue. It is not a new issue. This has been going on for quite some time and we continue to work with the Government of Sri Lanka to put in place some kind of mechanism so that we can avoid these things to the extent possible.
Question (Srinjoy): A few days ago, Mr. Musharraf, former President of Pakistan made certain statements and he said that there was an official plan of sending terrorists to India. So, clearly the Pak establishment had a role in this. What is India going to do now considering this admission has been made?
Shri Vikas Swarup: You know our position on this is very clear. Pakistan must stop using terrorism as an instrument of State policy and the sooner Pakistan realizes it, the faster the relations between India and Pakistan can progress.
Question (Shreya, Annapurna Post, Nepal): Sir, the crisis in Nepal seems to be deepening. Is the Government of India talking to the new Government in Nepal Mr. Oli? There were talks of the Prime Minister of Nepal making a visit to India?Could you please share the details?If you have any details of what is happening at the border, I would really appreciate that.
Shri Vikas Swarup: As I said, I do not have the details of the vehicles which are stuck there but you know it is pretty much what has happened in the past. We are trying to send 300-400 trucks which are going from the border points that are open but the main choke point remains Raxaul-Birganj. That has to open. We understand the talks are going on between the Government of Nepal and the United Democratic Madhesi Front. We hope that these talks will be fruitful and lead to an early political settlement.We also hope that such a political resolution of issues facing Nepal will be institutionalized in a manner that would ensure broad-based ownership and acceptance of the Constitution by all sections of the society including by the disaffected agitating forces.
As far as the engagement with the new Government is concerned, you are very well aware that Mr. Kamal Thapa, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister came to India within a week of assuming office. We had good discussions. He acknowledged that there is a political problem in Nepal which needs a political solution and we continue to urge the political parties in Nepal to work out some kind of an accommodation with disaffected sections of their own population.The President of Nepal has been elected, as you know, and our President has already congratulated her. So, our relationship with the political forces in Nepal, with the ruling party in Nepal continues but at the same time, there has to be an acknowledgement of the problem which exists on the Nepalese side and efforts to address this in a sincere manner.
Question: मिस्र से जो दो इण्डियन जेल से छोड़े जायेंगे उसके बारे में बता सकेंगे कि वे क्यों पिछले 16 साल या 22 साल से जेलों में बंद थे?
श्री विकास स्वरूप : उनके ऊपर कुछ चार्जेस थे। देखिये हम यह बात नहीं कर रहे हैं कि उनको अरेस्ट किया गया था। उनको जो जेल की गयी है, वह सही है या गलत है उस पर हम टिप्पणी नहीं कर रहे हैं। किसी कन्ट्री के ज्युडिशियल प्रॉसेस पर हम टिप्पणी नहीं कर रहे हैं। हमने सिर्फ यह कहा था कि एक 16 वर्ष से जेल में है, एक 22 वर्ष से जेल में है और हमारा एक ट्रान्सफर ऑफ सेन्टेन्स्ड परसन्स का एग्रीमेन्ट है इजिप्ट के साथ, उसके तहत हमने दिसम्बर 2014 में अनुरोध किया था कि क्या इनको अब छोड़ा जा सकता है क्योंकि ऑलरेडी ये इतने वर्षों से इजिप्ट की जेलों में हैं? क्या इनको इण्डिया भेजा जा सकता है? तो उस पर जो राष्ट्रपति हैं सीसी साहब, उन्होंने कल ऐज़ अ गुडविल जेस्चर कहा कि हमने फैसला ले लिया है, हम इन दोनेां को इस एग्रीमेन्ट के तहत रिहा कर रहे हैं।
प्रश्न : …(अश्रव्य)…
श्री विकास स्वरूप : रिहा कर रहे हैं इजिप्ट से इण्डिया भेज रहे हैं न इन दि सेन्स कि जो सजा पूरी करेंगे और जो भी उसके जो मॉडैलिटीज हैं उसके बेसिस पर वह होगा
Question (Charu): In the meeting between the Prime Minister and the president Sisi, did either of them also invite for a bilateral visit any time?
Shri Vikas Swarup: I do not think there was a reference but it is not that you have to extend the invitation in face-to-face meeting.These things are also handled through diplomatic channels.
Question (Charu): You talked about how the Prime Minister said that the summit would have been incomplete without President Sisi attending and the President Sisi referred to the historic relations between India and Egypt. Did he specifically refer to the NAM or Prime Minister Nehru and President Nasir?
Shri Vikas Swarup: Not in the bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister.
Question (Geeta Mohan): I have two questions. One is, Pakistan sought re-election at the UNHRC but was voted out. I just wanted to know the kind of role the Indian Mission would have played and also the fact that the international community is more aware of human rights violation in Pakistan. Secondly, has Chhota Rajan got consulor access and is there confusion between extradition and deportation? What is that the Ministry of External Affairs is looking at given that the Ambassador said that they are in talks and their headquarters will decide what needs to be done?
Shri Vikas Swarup: Well, only one question is permitted but I will make an exception in your case. So, on your first question on Pakistan not winning election to the UN Human Rights Council, you know this was an election and the result is obvious and there is no need for me to comment on the outcome of the election. We all know what has happened. As far as the issue of human rights violations in Pakistan is concerned, again that is something that is well known and does not need any comment by me. On the Chhota Rajan case, we are in touch with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and MHA and Ministry of External Affairs are working together to ensure that we bring him back to India as early as possible.
Question (Akhilesh): Coming back to Nepal, can you give us a signal how much aid and assistance we give to Nepal and seeing Nepal-India’s long term friendship, don’t you think that Chinese entry in Nepal in such a situation will hamper our relations with Nepal or our influence in Nepal?
Shri Vikas Swarup: As far as assistance is concerned, USD one billion had already been given to Nepal earlier and USD one billion was announced at the time of the earthquake when External Affairs Minister represented India at the reconstruction conference. So, total aid would become USD two billion which is very substantial package that we give to Nepal. But more than that, our relationship with Nepal is not based on aid. As we have said repeatedly, रोटी और बेटी का रिश्ता है। It is a relationship in which we have civilizational routes, we have cultural links, we have religious links; we have all kinds of links with Nepal. Millions of Nepalese live and work in India and we have open border with them. So, the relationship was beyond transactional terms. As I said, it is very deep-rooted historical friendship and this thing about China I had mentioned earlier press conference that we would certainly be concerned about any growth of anti-India sentiment in Nepal and we hope that this situation which has been caused entirely by problems on the Nepalese side will be resolved at the earliest and our relationship will once again return to its original status.
Question: …(Inaudible)…
Shri Vikas Swarup: I will have to check on that.्या ट ट ड ह कहा था कि एक 1 . and efforts to ontinues but at the same time, that has to be an acknowledgement of the rpoblem
प्रश्न : …(अश्रव्य)…
श्री विकास स्वरूप : तो पेन्शन्स तो हम देते ही हैं। हमारा एक पेंशन ऑफिस दूतावास में है।
प्रश्न : वहॉं पर कुछ समाचार आया है कि वहॉं जो पेन्शन की डिस्बर्समेन्ट है भारत ने रोक दी है।
श्री विकास स्वरूप : नहीं, मैनें तो नहीं सुना है कि गोरखाओं की पेंशन हमने रोक दी है। यह आपने कब और कहॉं से सुना है?
प्रश्न : यह रिपोर्ट पेपर में छपी है।
श्री विकास स्वरूप : मुझे तो बिल्कुल सत्य नहीं लग रही रिपोर्ट, पर मैं वेरिफाई करूँगा।
Question: Since Egypt is member of the United for Consensus…….
Shri Vikas Swarup: No, Egypt is not a member of the United for Consensus. It cannot be, because it is bound by the African Ezulwini Consensus.
Question: But did President Sisi offer any support for India’s candidature to UNSC?
Shri Vikas Swarup: In a 15 minute meeting, you do not have a detailed discussion on UN Security Council reform, but as I said, the fact of the matter is that Egypt has also signed on to the Declaration that has been issued at the end of the India-Africa Forum Summit where both sides have noted each other’s aspirations to be in the Security Council.
Question: Secondly, you mentioned that in the meeting with the PM of Somalia, we have agreed to send experts to counter terrorism?
Shri Vikas Swarup: As I said, we are ready to assist in security sector and if Somalia has needs for specific expertise, then the Prime Minister said that we are happy to provide assistance in those areas. But this is all subject to further discussions and specific requirements.
प्रश्न : गीता की वापसी के बाद एक बच्चे को लेकर आवाज़ पाकिस्तान की ओर से भी उठी थी जो कि भोपाल में है और ‘उम्मीद’ नाम के एक एन.जी.ओ. के पास है- रहमान।
श्री विकास स्वरूप : रहमान या रमज़ान?
प्रश्न : सॉरी रमज़ान। क्या कोई ऑफिशियल डिमाण्ड पाकिस्तान से आपकी तरफ़ आई है और दूसरा सवाल, आपने कहा है कि गीता की डी.एन.ए. रिपोर्ट के बारे में जानकारी नहीं देंगे।
श्री विकास स्वरूप : मेरे पास है नहीं जानकारी तो मैं कहॉं से दूँ?
प्रश्न : तो क्या इतना कन्फर्म कर सकते हैं कि वाकई रिपोर्ट एम्स ने आपके पास भेज दी है या नहीं भेजी है?
श्री विकास स्वरूप : मेरे पास इस बारे में अभी कोई जानकारी नहीं आई है जो मैं आपके साथ साझा कर सकता हूँ। मेरे पास कुछ नहीं आया है। मैं आपको रमज़ान के बारे में बता सकता हूँ। रमज़ान का केस गीता के केस से बिल्कुल अलग है। क्योंकि रमज़ान पहले पाकिस्तान गये थे फिर उनके पिताजी वहॉं से बांग्लादेश चले गये और दूसरी शादी कर ली और फिर रमज़ान बांग्लादेश से होते-होते किसी तरह से भोपाल पहुँच गये और अब भोपाल में वह एक एन.जी.ओ. के पास हैं। तो इसमें सर्वप्रथम तो पाकिस्तान को रमज़ान की नेशनलिटी वेरिफाई करनी पड़ेगी और हमने सुना है कि उस एन.जी.ओ. ने शायद पाकिस्तान दूतावास के साथ सम्पर्क स्थापित किया है। इसकी इन्डिपेन्डेन्ट जानकारी मेरे पास नहीं है लेकिन यदि पाकिस्तान उनकी नेशनलिटी कन्फर्म कर देता है और कहता है कि हॉं, यह पाकिस्तानी नेशनल है then the decks are cleared for him to go to Pakistan. फिर वह पाकिस्तान जा सकता है।
Question (Vineeta): My question is on the unified African forces that are going to combat terrorism and all sorts of problems in Africa.Are they going to set up some office in Delhi also besides capacity building and other part of training?
Shri Vikas Swarup: I think ‘No’. I don’t think there is a new proposal for them to set up in office in Delhi. The proposal is for African peacekeepers to be trained in our peacekeeping institutions particularly the Centre for UN Peacekeeping. That is the commitment that Prime Minister had outlined in the meeting in the leadership summit that President Obama had hosted in New York.
Question: …(Inaudible)…
Shri Vikas Swarup: This is training for trainers. So, you train the trainers who then go back and then train more. That is the idea.
Question: We have seen that India has offered USD 10 billion as line of credit. But what is the African side of partnership? What does Africa have to offer to India through this Summit?
Shri Vikas Swarup: As I said, this was not a transactional Summit; we give you USD 10 billion, you give us this, you give us that.The idea, the whole purpose of the Summit was to have India and the whole of Africa on one platform which had never happened before. As you know, we were governed by the Banjul Formula. Only a limited number of countries were invited. Now the whole of Africa was with India on one platform.They have signed two documents which expressed the future contours of the partnership that India and Africa will have.
Africa is rich in minerals, Africa has a very young demographic profile, and Africa has certain needs.We have certain strengths, we have certain needs, Africa has certain strengths and the idea is how the two can be meshed together and it becomes a win-win partnership for both sides.Human resource development is one particular area where India has a certain expertise; a whole generation of Africans has been trained in Indian institutions. Many of the African leaders have benefitted from India’s vocational training and higher education institutions. So, these are the kinds of areas – capacity building, human resource development, medicines, pharma; you know 80 per cent of anti-retrovirals in Africa now come from India. So, those are the kind of areas where we want to deepen the partnership and we want to broaden the partnership to cover new areas. Blue economy, for instance, was not there in the previous two summit declarations because this is an emerging area where we believe India and Africa have much to offer each other.
So, the whole idea of this Summit was to get India and Africa on the same page on whole host of issues. When it comes to international issues whether there is trade issues pertaining to WTO, whether it is climate change issues pertaining to the Cop-21, whether it is security and international relations issues pertaining to reform of the United Nations and institutions of global governance, it is important for India and Africa to have a common position and a common perspective and I think that is where the Summit has helped.
Question: I was a little curious whether the Prime Minister accepted the Malian PM’s invitation to visit Timbuktu.
Shri Vikas Swarup: Malian President invited him and said, ‘when you come to Mali I would definitely like to take you to Timbuktu which is a cultural heritage site.’
Question: Would it be the first Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Timbuktu?
Shri Vikas Swarup: If it happens, I would imagine. I don’t recall but as I said, I will have to check. One can never be sure; maybe some Indian leader went sometime in the past.
Question: You mentioned that Somalia had praised the role of the Indian Navy. Is there any proposal from Somalia for any presence of the Indian Navy?
Shri Vikas Swarup: Indian Navy is already present in the Gulf of Aden. We have provided escorts to more than 3,500 ships and that is why the high risk area has been removed now. It has been shifted back to 65 degrees East from 78 degrees East and that is largely because of the very coordinated patrolling by the Indian Navy and of course the coordinated response of the international community. So, the Indian Navy has done a fantastic job in combating piracy. You know we caught a mother ship also, we foiled several piracy attempts also.
Question: But many other navies also operate in that region including the Chinese PLA. But I was asking whether it has suggested any increased role for Indian Navy like maritime security because you mentioned there was some talk about maritime security?
Shri Vikas Swarup: As I said, those who ask for fast coastal boats and things like that, those kinds of requests we are always ready to provide but that particular discussion did not happen in this particular meeting.
Question: I have just a little clarification.In case of Ethiopia, you said the talks were with the President?
Shri Vikas Swarup: No, it was with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn.
Question (Kallol Bhattacharjee): I just wanted to know that in countries in the African continent have a lot of political issues among themselves. Different countries have different sorts of political disputes, boundary issues etc.Did any of these countries at any point during this Summit or bilaterals ask India’s intervention? For example, DRC or Libya?
Shri Vikas Swarup: I was there in all the meetings.I was there in 19 meetings. I will be there in 10 more meetings today.Nothing like that happened.
Question (Kallol Bhattacharjee): Don’t you think it is little unusual because when India has always been a votary for freedom or forces of freedom and forces of decolonization and Africa has so much of extremism in different parts.
Shri Vikas Swarup: You know very well counter-terrorism cooperation featured in a big way in most of the meetings.
Question (Kallol Bhattacharjee): I am talking about intervention from Indian side in security issues.
Shri Vikas Swarup: As I said, counter-terrorism cooperation, security sector cooperation did figure in a big way, and the Prime Minister, as I said, was very open to these suggestions and said that if you have specific proposals in this particular sector, we also believe that terrorism has to be countered in every way imaginable. All forms of terrorism are reprehensible and they need to be countered in a very active manner and the only and the best way is greater international cooperation. So, the Prime Minister is very open to security sector cooperation in terms of intelligence sharing, in terms of provision of experts, in terms of technology, cyber security, all these issues we are open to these ideas.
Question: …(Inaudible)…
Shri Vikas Swarup: The Prime Minister’s bilaterals begin at 4:30. So, where will be the time?
प्रश्न : एक की सेक्टर हेल्थ रहा है जिसको लेकर तमाम देशों में सब बातचीत हुई है। आज स्वास्थ्य मंत्री नड्डा जी की भी बातचीत हुई है। एड्स को अफ्रीका में महामारी के तौर पर माना जाता है। 2030 तक इसे समाप्त करने की बात हुई है। किस तरह से हेल्थ को लेकर टाई-अप इण्डिया का हुआ और क्या एड्स के अलावा बाकी और बीमारियां भी हैं जिनको समाप्त करने के लिए भारत कोई ऐड दे रहा है?
श्री विकास स्वरूप : ईबोला के लिए तो आपको पता ही है कि 12 मिलियन डॉलर्स हमने दिये थे जब अफ्रीका में ईबोला का आउटब्रेक हुआ था और एड्स में भी हम पूरा प्रयास कर रहे हैं। हमारा NACO ऑर्गेनाइजेशन जो है वह उसमें कार्यरत है और भारत की प्राइवेट कम्पनीज़ जो हैं- मैनें जैसा कि बताया कि कई अफ्रीकन देशों में 80 प्रतिशत से ज्यादा एन्टी-रेट्रोवाइरल्स जो एड्स के इलाज में काम आती हैं, वे भारत से ही मैन्युफैक्चर होकर जा रही हैं। तो अफ्रीका की जो फाइट है अगेन्स्ट एड्स, उसमें भारत का बहुत बड़ा योगदान है। जितने भी प्राइवेट एन.जी.ओ. हैं जैसे मेडिसिन सैन्सफ्रॅान्टियर वगैरह उन सबने भारत की सराहना की है और अनुरोध किया है कि यह निरन्तर जारी रहना चाहिये, हमें वेस्टर्न कन्ट्रीज के दबाव में नहीं आना चाहिये कि ये कम्पल्सरी लाइसेन्सिंग न हो क्योंकि यह पब्लिक हेल्थ के लिए आवश्यक है।
Question: …(Inaudible)…
Shri Vikas Swarup: So far, the pattern is: one in India, one in Africa. As you know, the first one was in Delhi, the second in Addis Ababa. The third is back in Delhi. So, the fourth one should technically be in Africa.
Question: …(Inaudible)…
Shri Vikas Swarup: No, I think now this is the new formula to the best of my knowledge. The Prime Minister said in his closing statement that we have agreed that this is the new format of our engagement and my expectation is that this particular format will now continue.
Question: …(Inaudible)…
Shri Vikas Swarup: As I said, it is five years down the line; so, it has yet to be decided. How can I say? It could be Addis Ababa, it could be Cairo, and it could by any of the 54 countries in Africa. This will be a part of a partnership. One particular country will have to offer and we will have to accept and on that basis this will go ahead.
Question: …(Inaudible)…
Shri Vikas Swarup: That is what I think. I am not the expert on this but I would imagine that the next one should be in Africa. Thank you very much.(Concluded)
