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It was felt by both leaders that India
and Kazakhstan have talked too long in general terms, and that
the time had come to talk of a "project-specific" agenda and
cooperation in areas such as hydrocarbon, textile, information
technology and education.
The Kazakh side has a better appreciation of India's search
for energy and food security, the Indian officials felt after
the Ansari-Nazarbayev interaction.
Cultural affinities
Mr. Nazarbayev recalled the traditional cultural affinities
between the two nations, dating back to the Silk Route era. He
also wanted New Delhi and Astana to address the issue of
improving "direct surface transport access" between the two
countries.
During the discussion on the "troubled spots in the
neighbourhood," the need for joint efforts against terrorism
and drug trafficking was stressed. The Kazakh President
suggested that India and China would be the new "drivers" of
the global order.
Mr. Ansari renewed New Delhi's standing invitation to Mr.
Nazarbayev to visit India.
Earlier in the day, in an address at the prestigious Academy
of Public Administration the Vice-President gave the senior
Kazakh administrators and intellectuals an idea of India's
constitutional architecture.
Quoting from Kautilya's Arthashastra, Mr. Ansari argued that
the kings and rulers drew their legitimacy from their duty to
the citizens' welfare. The purpose of public administration
must not be only programmes, projects and polices but also to
enable "the people [to] do by themselves and for themselves."
Giving an intellectual grand tour of the accomplishments of
the Indian state, Mr. Ansari outlined three distinct elements:
(a) consolidation of the national identity and accommodation
of linguistic, ethnic, religious and caste-based identities in
a democratic partnership; (b) initiation of land reforms, in
order to transform the feudal society and creation of an
industrial infrastructure; and (c) crafting a culture of
democracy and participative governance.
The Vice-President drew attention to the new edifice of
panchayati raj, calling it "the greatest experiment in
democracy ever undertaken anywhere in the world or at any time
in history."
Mr. Ahamed had a meeting with the Head of the Foreign Office
Establishment of Kazakhstan, Marat Tazhin.
Source: Hindu |
