Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna will inaugurate a three-day annual conference of around 120 Indian heads of missions here Friday that will review various facets of India’s foreign policy and map the way forward.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also expected to address Indian envoys and set the tone for India’s foreign policy challenges in the days to come.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vyalar Ravi, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia are also expected to interact with the envoys on their respective policy areas.

The annual conclave takes place against the backdrop of the recent failed talks with Pakistan and the ongoing flux in Afghanistan and will also focus on other challenges confronting India’s foreign policy, including the global financial crisis and climate change.

This is the third such meeting and has become a regular feature since the first one held in December 2008 in the backdrop of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks when India was on a “diplomatic offensive” against Pakistan.

All issues with a bearing on India’s foreign policy will be on the agenda, sources said. Issues relating to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, South Asia, India-China ties and the India-US relations in the context of the forthcoming visit of US President Barack Obama to India will figure in discussions.

The UN reforms too will be on the agenda as India gears up for the October vote in the UN General Assembly for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

The brainstorming is aimed at generating ideas to enable Indian diplomats adapt to the challenges of a shifting and complex global order, an official said.