Glowing tributes were today paid to former Foreign Secretary Triloki Nath Kaul who had played significant role in various aspects of India's foreign policy, particularly to strengthen relationship with erstwhile Soviet Union.
At a function here, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma and eminent scholar Kapila Vatsyayan spoke of Kaul's contribution to lay a strong foundation for India's ties with Soviet Union.
Descrbing him as a "remarkable" diplomat, Khurshid said he had left a "deep impression" on India's foreign policy while donning various roles in his illustrious career.
An Indian Civil Service officer of 1939 batch, Kaul had a very distinguished career serving as India's Ambassador to the erstwhile USSR twice, Ambassador to the US and Iran. Kaul, who died in 2000, was India's Foreign Secretary from 1967 to 1972.
Talking about ties with Russia, Khurshid said the relationship is very strong though people think it is not the one India had with the USSR.
"People often think that we do not have the same relationship with successive stages of Soviet Union and with Russia as we had in the past..Those who think that do not know how deep, how extensive, how fruitful and how remarkable this relationship is," he said while crediting Kaul for his contribution to the bilateral ties.
Kadakin said Kaul's contribution to stronger friendship and strategic partnership between Russia and India is highly valued and remembered in his country.
"T N Kaul's two tenures as Ambassador in Moscow were unprecedentedly fruitful. During 1962-66, when the foreign policy of the young republic was shaped, Kaul was instrumental in broadening full-scale cooperation between our countries. He helped the Kremlin leaders and thousands of my compatriots to make Nehruvian discovery of friendly India and her ancient culture and history," Kadakin said.
Sharma and Vatsyayan also hailed Kaul's contribution to shaping India's foreign policy.
The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Russian Embassy.
A photo exhibition featuring Kaul was also inaugurated by Khurshid at the Russian Cultural Centre, the venue of the event.
