Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) In its second term, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government Tuesday underlined that India continues to press for UN reforms and that it is committed to close and friendly relations with all countries in its immediate and extended neighbourhood.
Presenting the performance report of the first year of the second term of the UPA, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “We hope to consolidate our relations with neighbours and all major powers in the years ahead.”

“In foreign policy, our core objective is to secure for India an external environment that is conducive to our long-term economic development and to peace and stability in our region,” said Manmohan Singh.

In a section entitled “Building Bridges”, the UPA-II report said: “The UPA government, in its second term, pursues its foreign policy objectives which are closely integrated with the country’s fundamental security and development priorities.”

“India is committed to close and good neighbourly relations with all countries in its immediate and extended neighbourhood,” he said.

The report, however, did not contain any overt reference to Pakistan.

In his national press conference May 24 to mark the first year of the UPA-II, Manmohan Singh had stressed that building better relations with Pakistan was necessary to realising India’s development potential.

The report stressed that India continues to press for reform of the UN, in particular, through expansion of its Security Council to make it more democratic and representative and continued to play a lead role in the Non-Aligned Movement.