One flows from the other. So, I thought I should mention a few things and then go to the some of the other points that were made by the honourable Members.
Some members made a mention about some of the developed countries and I will touch on them briefly. Well, in the case of the USA, we have certainly some points of difference and we have never tried to conceal them, like the supply of arms to the countries in our neighbourhood and to the regions where they are not necessary and the building up of the Diego Garcia base, for example. These are all issues on which we have differences and we have never tried to conceal them and, we cannot conceal them, because there are differences. At the same time, I would like to make it clear that both the countries do recognise the need to build up a mature and realistic relationship on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual respect. The various Sub-Commissions created under the Indo-US Joint Commission have been meeting and have, to a certain extent, succeeded in identifying certain areas of mutually beneficial co-operation and I hope this process will continue. When I am talking about our relations with the USA, I must at the same time mention about our relations with the USSR also, which are very important for us, and I would like to say that our relationship with the socialist countries in the world is a very important facet of our foreign policy. Our friendly relations with the USSR are very important to us and they are of a positive quality for us. They are not based on any opportunistic considerations because - as somebody has said this morning and I underline that - they have stood the test of time and because they have made contributions to our economic growth and our political understanding. Therefore, our relationship with the USSR is excellent and, as you are aware, our Prime Minister is visiting the USSR only next month.
I am sure this will give us an opportunity to discuss all the issues mutually, and these discussions will give further opportunity, to take the relationship to a higher level of understanding. Some people have tried to link up our relationship with USSR with some of the latest developments that are taking place, and here I must come to the point, about new initiatives which we took regarding China.
We have always been making efforts for the normalisation our relations with China. We were not getting the response. But this time, we got the response and we have taken the first step, and it is a significant step. We are upgrading the level of our representation in Peking to Ambassador level, and we have appointed our Ambassador. They have given their agreement and he will soon go there. The intention on both sides is to make a sincere effort for improving the relationship, bilateral relationship, friendship and understanding, because we believe that we must have better relations with our neighbours. Though the situation went in an absolutely opposite direction in 1962, we did not severe our diplomatic relations with them. Naturally, our efforts will be to improve our relations. But that does not mean that this relationship will be at the cost of others, or that our relationship with the USSR, will be against any other country. The basic point which one has to take into consideration is that India’s friendship with any country is not meant against anyone else and it has to be taken into account on its own merits.
One of the Members, who made a very good speech in Hindi this morning said - and I would like to use his words - that with some countries we should have, maitri’ and with others, ‘aam maitri’. I will not like to make this type of distinction in friendship. I am reminded of a similar type of thing the other day in the other House when one of the leading members of the Communist Party asked me : Select your friends. Really speaking, it means, on the other side : Choose your enemies also. I told him at that time that this was not our way. All our leadership from the days of Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, and Prime Minister Indiraji also has expressed our policy very well. She said that wherever we have friendship, we should try to strengthen it. Where there is a little lack of friendship or hesitation, try to turn that into a positive Willingness for friendship; wherever there is hostility, try to reduce it and convert it into a positive friendship.