Bhubaneswar: The cornerstone of international relations and diplomacy is hinged to the nation’s interest. Everything else is subordinate to it, said India’s former Ambassador Arun Kumar Sahu.
Addressing the students of the faculty of legal studies at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, Sahu, Joint Secretary (Central Europe) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said diplomacy is the tool for international relations and threw light as to how the Russia-Ukraine conflict would impact the future power balance in the world.
Sahu, who is the former Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, was delivering the SOA Weekly Academic Lecture (SOAWAL) at the SOA National Institute of Law (SNIL). “When a diplomat speaks, you have to read between the lines and what he or she does not speak carries relevance. You have to use words carefully and in such a way that it would not return to haunt you after many years,” he said.
Narrating his personal and professional experiences during the interactive session, Sahu spoke as to how he managed when he was first posted in China without any knowledge of Mandarin. He also narrated his experience in Iran when generous strangers helped him take his baby son to an orthopedic surgeon.
Replying to a question, Sahu said the notion that where diplomacy ends, war begins has been an outdated understanding of international relations.
Prof Nachieketa K Sharma, Director, University Outreach Programme and Prabir Kumar Pattnaik, professor in the institute also spoke. Prof SAK Azad, Dean of SNIL, presented a memento to the guest and Ambarish, Assistant Professor in the institute proposed the vote of thanks.
