BHOPAL: Former foreign secretary in the ministry of external affairs
Shivshankar Menon
on Saturday said that the country needs to focus on basic issues like employment, education and health for its overall development. “It is high time India focuses on these issues for its own development and for the future growth of the country.
Menon, who has served as National Security Adviser under former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, said that India is known for making all efforts to have cordial relations with other countries. “But going by the present circumstances, a confrontation with China seems inevitable,” he said while speaking about India’s foreign policy on the second day of Bhopal Literature Festival at
Bharat Bhavan
.
Menon said that India is making attempts to reduce the ongoing tension between Iran and US. “India does not want to have any war anywhere in the world. Though it seems to be a difficult task as both countries are power centres, but we can’t stop trying,” he said.
Talking about the India’s foreign policy, Menon said, “Creating an environment for change and competence based on strengths of the country and finding solutions to the existing problems is the basic motto of our country’s foreign policy. Foreign policy is based on trying to overcome damages and reducing losses in external and internal affairs, which have their own boundaries.” He interacted with Amar Sinha and Pradeep Baijal.
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