Q.
Do you think that the misgivings with regard to the non-aligned movement which had come to the surface, in the Dulles era have lessened considerably?
A.
Yes, these misgivings considerably lessened after the Dulles period.
Q.
Do you subscribe to the view of some of the Western, leaders that non-alignment is somewhat in the nature of an ineffectual moral movement which has not really brought any concrete gains to the developing world?
A.
I do not think that would be a proper assessment of the nonalignment movment; because it is a movement which has brought more than a hundred developing countries together. Despite a wide diversity in their systems of government it has given, them a voice in the comity of nations which they could not command individually. It has also given them a sort of particular faith to articulate their views on world events, world developments and enabled them to identify the new causes of humanity and to try to support them. These are the tasks that the non-alignment movement had put before it. We will have always to remember what exactly the ingredients of the non-alignment movement are. The first and foremost objective of the nonaligned movement is liberation and preservation of freedom. It is an anti-imperialist and anticolonial movement. Therefore, it gave priority to the problems of the peoples who were still under subjugation of imperial powers. Then came the problem of the developing countries, the problem of poverty and the socioeconomic problems of the developing countries, the quest for evolving a more just and equitable international economic order and the cause of peace.
Q.
In your introductory article you have referred to perceived national interests, people's 'diplomacy and the cause of peace and international co-operation. Could you give any concrete lilustrations of these abstract principles?
A.
As I have no documents with me I can only rely on my memory in giving these examples. As you know, the first important visitor to India after I took over was Dr. Henry Kissinger, the U.S. Secretary of State. He visited India from October 28 to October 31, 1974. My last official visit to a foreign country was to Rumania from January 16 to 19, 1977. In between, I had the privilege of meeting the heads of Governments and their Foreign Ministers of almost all the important countries of the world, in the capitals of many countries as well as in India. I had the opportunity of discussing broad policy questions on international relations. My conversations with everyone whom I met were invariably conducted in an atmosphere of cordiality, friendship and understanding. It was my endeavour to understand the points of view of others, even if they differed from my own.
A perceptible improvement in normalisation of Indo-US relations came about after Kissinger's visit to India. We established joint committees to enlarge areas of co-operation between the two countries. I now find that we are continuing to go forward in this direction, though it is clear enough that the ties between these two countries which constitute two large geo-political opposite points may face occasional but temporary setbacks.
