"India will continue to play role of Vishwa Mitra...": Rajnath Singh

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], February 21 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that India will persist in its role as a "Vishwa Mitra" (a global friend), fostering significant alliances to create a genuinely interconnected and fair environment for humanity worldwide.
Singh made the statement while addressing a gathering at the inaugural event of the MILAN 2024 International Seminar.
MILAN 2024 is the Indian Navy's largest-ever multilateral naval exercise, commencing here in Vizag with an impressive lineup of warships from Indian and foreign navies participating in the Harbour Phase.
"India will continue to play the role of a "Vishwa Mitra" (a friend of the world) in forging meaningful partnerships that make our planet, a truly connected and equitable habitat for humanity as a whole," Singh said.
The Defence Minister also urged the participating foreign navies in the MILAN 2024 exercise "to make the most of this wonderful opportunity, to get to know each other as well as our vibrant country, Bharat (India)."
"May you all learn from each other, and of course, have a good time in the city of destiny, Vishakhapatnam," said the Minister.
"While being optimistic about the shared goodness of our human race," Singh also warned that "we are also alive to the dangers lurking in shadows", and suggested, "We prefer peace and will do the utmost for its sake, but we will not shrink from countering any threat that undermines our collective well-being, piracy and trafficking included."
"For example, events of the past few months in the Western Indian Ocean have brought to the fore some extremely pressing challenges in the maritime domain, ranging from attacks on merchant shipping to piracy and hijacking attempts," the Minister reminded.
He further noted that "India continues its proactive engagement and has been maintaining a sustained presence in the region to ensure the safety and security of all shipping, irrespective of the flag on the ship and the nationality of the crew."
"It is our steadfast resolve to be the first responder and the preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean region, and for the peace, stability, and prosperity of the wider Indo-Pacific," stressed Singh.
Taking cognizance of the current scenario across the world, the Defence Minister emphasised "positive peace".
"Positive peace, that we should collectively aspire to in our age of democratic and rule-based world order, where individual countries proactively collaborate to achieve shared peace and prosperity. This concept of peace goes beyond the mere absence of direct military conflict and encompasses broader notions of security, justice, and cooperation," Singh said.
According to him, positive peace is the shared peace of one and all, with the cooperation of one and all.
"There is no Indian peace, Australian peace, or Japanese peace, rather, it is the shared global peace. This sentiment has also been eloquently set forth by our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, when he said, 'this is not an era of war. But it is one of dialogue and diplomacy,'" Rajnath Singh added.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also inaugurated the exhibition organised in connection with Milan 2024.