Annual Report 2007 – 2008 Ministry of External Affairs Government of India Published by: Policy Planning and Research Division, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi This Annual Report can also be accessed at website: www.mea.gov.in Designed and printed by: Cyberart Informations Pvt. Ltd. 1517 Hemkunt Chambers, 89 Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019 E mail: [email protected] Website: www.cyberart.co.in Contents Introduction and Synopsis i-xvi 1. India’s Neighbours 1 2. South East Asia and the Pacific 19 3. East Asia 31 4. Eurasia 36 5. The Gulf, West Asia and North Africa 42 6. Africa (South of Sahara) 55 7. Europe 69 8. The Americas 82 9. United Nations and International Organizations 89 10. Multilateral Economic Relations 101 11. Technical & Economic Cooperation and Development Partnership 108 12. Investment and Technology Promotion 111 13. Policy Planning and Research 113 14. Protocol 114 15. Consular, Passport and Visa Services 120 16. Administration and Establishment 123 17. Coordination 127 18. External Publicity 129 19. Foreign Service Institute 135 20. Implementation of Official Language Policy and 138 Propagation of Hindi Abroad 21. Indian Council for Cultural Relations 140 22. Indian Council of World Affairs 143 23. Research and Information System for Developing Countries 144 24. Library 147 Appendices Appendix I Cadre strength at Headquarters and Missions/Posts abroad during 2007-08 (including posts budgeted by Ministry of Commerce and those ex-cadred etc.) 151 Appendix II Recruitment made in various groups in the Ministry of External Affairs and reserved vacancies filled by Scheduled Caste/Schedule Tribe/ Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories from April to November 2007. 152 Appendix III Language-wise Statement of Officers (Grade I to Junior Scale of IFS) 153 Appendix IV Gender-Related Statistics 154 Appendix V Statement showing the number of applications received and passports issued including under Tatkaal Scheme, miscellaneous applications received and services rendered as well as Revenue (including revenue under Tatkaal Scheme) and Expenditure figures of the Passport Offices from 1 January - 31 December 2007. 155 Appendix VI Finances of the Ministry of External Affairs in 2007-2008 156 Appendix VII The Major Sectoral Allocations in the 2007-2008 Budget (RE) 157 Appendix VIII Principal Destinations of India’s Aid Programmes 158 Appendix IX Outcome Budget in Respect of Major Heads of Expenditure (2007-08) 159 Appendix X Extracts from C&AG’s Report on Ministry of External Affairs 163 Appendix XI Treaties/Conventions/Agreements Concluded or Renewed by India with other countries in the year 2007 167 Appendix XII Instruments of Full Powers Issued during the period 1 January 2007 to December 2007 183 Appendix XIII Instruments of Ratification/Accession issued during the period 1 January 2007 to December 2007 186 Appendix XIV Conference/ Seminars/ Study projects organized/ undertaken by Institutions/ NGOs, which were funded, partially or wholly, by Policy Planning & Research Division till January 2008 189 Appendix XV List of ITEC/SCAAP partner countries 191 Appendix XVI Seminars/Conferences/Lectures/Meetings organized by ICWA 193 Appendix XVII Seminars Organized by RIS 196 Introduction and Synopsis he foreign policy of India seeks to promote an neighbours on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual Tenvironment of peace and stability in our region respect. It extends support to the people of Nepal in their and in the world to enable India’s accelerated socio- political transition to a new democratic order. As a close economic development and safeguard our national and friendly neighbour, India supports the restoration of security. To attain these objectives, India has made full democracy in Bangladesh. As Bhutan transitions to a vigorous efforts to develop friendly and cooperative democratic constitutional monarchy, India continues to relations with all its neighbours and to strengthen work for Bhutan’s economic development and political engagement with the major powers of the world. India’s stability. With respect to the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka, economic diplomacy has attached due importance to India believes that there is no military solution and that energy security that is vital for an assured high rate of it is necessary to find a peacefully-negotiated political growth for our economy. settlement, acceptable to all communities, within the framework of a united Sri Lanka. India continues to help While pursuing the country’s supreme national interests, Afghanistan’s reconstruction and the Afghan government India’s foreign policy continues to be characterised by and people in building a pluralistic and prosperous society. autonomy of decision-making, commitment to Panchsheel India is also committed to peace, friendship and good or the five principles of peaceful coexistence, and equity neighbourly relations with Pakistan and has accordingly in the conduct of international relations. continued with the institutional dialogue with Pakistan. With the objective of a peaceful, stable and prosperous India attaches high importance to its bilateral relations neighbourhood, India continues to attach the highest with the People’s Republic of China with whom we have priority to close and good neighbourly political, economic a strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and and cultural relations with its neighbours. As Chairman prosperity. This partnership has been further enhanced of SAARC, India worked with the other members to and given a global dimension during the successful visit impart dynamism to SAARC processes. The Fourteenth of our Prime Minister to China in January 2008. SAARC Summit held in New Delhi in April 2007 decided to emphasise concrete regional initiatives, moving from a India and Iran share strong historical and cultural ties declaratory phase to implementation. The Summit with deep civilisational and people to people links. These recognised the need to have better intra-regional underpin a contemporary relationship with emphasis on connectivity, particularly physical, economic and people- trade, investment and regional cooperation. The to-people connectivity. The SAARC Council of Ministers momentum in India-Iran bilateral relations was meeting agreed to implement several social sector and maintained in 2007-08 through regular exchanges. physical connectivity projects identified by SAARC India also continued to increase its political and economic Transport Ministers and SAARC Finance Ministers. They cooperation with countries in East Asia, West Asia, also agreed to operationalise the SAARC Development Central Asia, Africa and Latin America. For the effective Fund immediately. Other important regional initiatives conduct of our foreign economic relations and taking relate to the setting up of a South Asian University and a forward its Look East policy, Prime Minister led the Indian SAARC Food Bank. delegation to the 6th India-ASEAN Summit and the East India remains committed to developing close, friendly and Asia Summit. High-level exchanges of visits have also mutually beneficial political relations with its South Asian continued with countries of West Asia and Central Asia. i Annual Report 2007 - 2008 Such exchanges included a visit to Libya by the External community, advocating that critical clean technologies Affairs Minister in May 2007. India’s commitment to the be made available and affordable for developing countries, Palestinian cause was reiterated by its participation at the even as it assured the world that while pursuing economic International Peace Conference on Palestine at Annapolis growth, India’s own per capita GHG emissions will not in November 2007 and at the donors’ conference on increase beyond those of developed countries. Palestine held in Paris the following month. India India’s economic diplomacy continued to take measures expressed concern over the events in Gaza and the West to attract foreign investments and to provide increased Bank and particularly over the use of violence against access to international markets so as to promote economic innocent civilians. growth in the country. India’s foreign policy is also directed India’s increasing engagement with countries of Africa towards bolstering energy security for the country, for and Latin America received further impetus with the visit instance, through supporting the efforts of our corporate of the Prime Minister to Nigeria in October 2007, entities in acquiring energy assets overseas. Convinced participation in the second IBSA Summit in Pretoria last that regional cooperation is beneficial for the country’s year and by visits of the Presidents of Brazil and Mexico economic growth, India has also continued its engagement to India in June and September 2007 respectively. with economic groupings such as ASEAN, East Asia Summit, IBSA, G-15, G-8, etc. We continued to press India has made rapid improvements in its relationships for closer economic integration with ASEAN countries. with the major powers of the world while, at the same Negotiations continued on the India-ASEAN Free Trade time, increasing its economic cooperation with other Agreement (FTA) and the FTAs with Thailand and the developed as well as developing countries. India’s relations BIMSTEC. The Joint Study on the feasibility of an FTA with the USA have been transformed in the past few years. with Malaysia was completed. Indo-US cooperation now spans a wide spectrum including high technology, space, agriculture, education, Neighbours and trade and