The Director USI, Lt Gen PK Singh, General VN Sharma, our previous Army Chief, delegates from friendly foreign countries, senior serving officers and the retired senior fraternity which is present here, members of the USI Council, ladies and gentlemen. It is a pleasure to be amongst you, especially to see so many people who have come for this very interesting seminar on Indo-Pacific Region: Security Dynamics and challenges. Needless to say, that this is an important arena for the think tanks to look at; it's an important arena for security specialists to look at and why I say it is an important arena for the foreign policy challenges that we face because, this is one area which is commercially and from security point of view important to us. I am sure you all are aware that in the 90s India embarked on what was termed at that time as the 'Look East' policy. Our whole aim was that we should look at what is to our East and how beneficial it is to us and how to integrate this area of importance to us. Today that 'Look East', with the new government which came in last year and our Prime Minister advocated that 'Look East' into an 'Act East', because we found that I think we were looking more and not acting more. so today it is 'act East' in which we not only look at our neighbourhood, we not only look at our own country's east and northeast, we also look at further into the Pacific. we are also, as you are aware, members of the IORA, the Indian Ocean Rim Association of countries, in which we look at how this impacts various things and how we can cooperate for betterment of various interests in this region. Primarily, India Ocean Rim countries look at how to exploit the riches which are available in this for the benefit of all the member countries and what should be done to ensure that our security concerns remains addressed. The Pacific Region At the same time, we are also looking at the Pacific region. You are aware of the type of agreements and type of engagements that has been that we need to look at the Pacific because both the Indian Ocean and the Pacific have concerns for us. When we look at the Pacific because both the Indian Ocean and the Pacific have serious concerns for us. When we look at the Pacific, recently we did have a seminar which was with the Pacific island countries, small island but important from strategic point of view. we had 14 nations which came in and there was a serious engagement with them in terms of how we can prove our usefulness and friendliness to these countries and therefore,India went on to extend not only the hand s of friendship, we extended lines of credit, we ensured that there is a better understanding of each other's concerns in this are. There were some who were not so well versed in matters security like you all who questioned us as to what India was doing with the Pacific island countries. But you would understand why it is important to have island countries in the Pacific, to be with us. To be looking at the way we see things and we understand what their concerns are. ASEAN Connectivity You are aware of the ASEAN summit that took place in Nay Pyi Taw which our Prime Minister(PM) attended and PM's concern was in terms of how to better our relations with ASEAN in all spheres. We talk of trade, we talk of connectivity and when I say connectivity, ladies and gentlemen, it's not just connectivity which is geographic; we are looking at connectivity which is in terms of trade and commerce; we are looking at connectivity which brings academic institutions and think tanks together; and we are looking at connectivity which looks at cultural and religious aspects between ASEAN and India. And therefore, aim is to strengthen this bonding with ASEAN, not only in there issues but also security matters where we understand what their concerns are. And, I am quite sure that ASEAN would welcome India as a balancer in terms of various concerns that it has; various security challenges that they look at and looking at somebody who is benign and who is willing to help them in realizing their own potential in a more secured environment with ASEAN countries and when you look from ASEAN downwards in to the Pacific you would realise why we engage so effectively with the Pacific island countries whom we had invited for a summit here in India. India's Importance in the Region What does all lead to? What it leads to is that, India as an important player because of its geographic location; India as an important player in terms of peace and harmony that it looks at; India as an important player which is looking at its own advancement by cooperation with various nations and that is why you have alll those programmes which brings us to an important slot where it becomes our economy becomes a driver a=for all the other nations with whom we cooperate. And hence all our engagements in the Pacific Region are very important to us from the foreign policy that we are pursuing. The question that comes up is, how does it impact the security issues that we deal with? Any engagement that takes place, be it commercial, be it trade, be it for trade, be it for any other matter, always has a underpinning of security concerns with whom so ever you engage........