Correct Answer : Visakhapatnam
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has called upon the international community to collectively aspire for peace in this age of democratic and rules-based world order, where individual countries proactively collaborate for shared peace & prosperity. He was addressing the formal opening ceremony of the 12th edition of the multi-nation Exercise MILAN in Visakhapatnam on February 21, 2024. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and a distinguished gathering of Ministers, Ambassadors, Chiefs of Navies and representatives of Maritime Forces from over 50 friendly countries were present on the occasion.
Sharing his insights on the concept of ‘peace’, the Raksha Mantri asserted that the absence of wars and conflicts is the most irreducible minimum element of peace. He spoke of “negative peace” which, he said, often stems from dominance or hegemony, where one power imposes its will upon others. He said such peace, not backed by fairness and justice, is what physicists and economists call “unstable equilibrium”.
Shri Rajnath Singh elaborated on what he called “cold peace” where parties do not kill each other in the open, but do their best to undermine one another. He described cold peace as merely an interval between direct conflicts.
The Raksha Mantri was of the view that the concept of positive peace goes beyond the mere absence of direct military conflict and encompasses broader notions of security, justice, and cooperation. “The positive peace is the shared peace of one and all, with the cooperation of one and all. There is no Indian peace or Australian peace or Japanese peace, rather it is the shared global peace. This sentiment was also eloquently set forth by our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi when he said ‘This is not an era of war. But it is one of dialogue and diplomacy’,” he said.
Shri Rajnath Singh emphasised that the Armed Forces play a dual role - conduct wars as well as maintain peace and good order. “Historically, Navies and Armies were established and maintained with the primary objective of extending political power through military conquests. Our historical experience informs us that the Armed Forces also play a significant role in preserving peace. It is seen in concepts and practices such as deterrence, conflict prevention, peace-keeping, and also in various humanitarian assistance efforts especially during disasters,” he said.
The Raksha Mantri stressed that in this evolution of the nature of the Armed Forces, international military exercises have emerged as crucial mechanisms for fostering friendship, understanding, cooperation, and military interoperability among friendly nations within the framework of a democratic world order. He termed MILAN 2024 as one such attempt to build the much-needed fraternal bonds across the oceans and mountains.
While Shri Rajnath Singh batted for peace and shared goodness, he assured that “we will not shrink from countering any threat that undermines our collective well-being, piracy and trafficking included”. He referred to the recent events in the Western Indian Ocean which have brought to the fore some pressing challenges in the maritime domain, ranging from attacks on the merchant shipping to piracy and hijacking attempts..
Source : PIB
