Time has come for India to build Asian Union: Gora

Vijayawada, Dec 15 (UNI) Time has come for India to strive and build an Asian union on the lines of the European union, Disaster Management Director and Environmental Journalist Vikas Gora said here today.

Speaking at a meeting on the Conference of International Convention Institutions and people's Institutions for Peace, he said building the Asian Union would not only be economically feasible, but would also contribute towards greater voice in the international arena. It would also help in resolving conflicts regionally, without internationalising the problems.

Mr Gora said the Convention highlighted the role of people's institutions in promoting conflict resolution at the grassroot level, leading to global harmony.

Presenting a paper on religion and war, he said more people were killed in the religious strife than in wars. As religion is losing ground, fanatics were coming to the fore, thereby increasing the presence of fundamentalism and international terrorism, he alleged.

He said religion should be a personal matter and should not find place in politics.

Mr Vikas stressed the need for continuous education on peace and to look at places, where peace has worked wonder, as this would enable the conflict-torn countries to opt for peace as an alternative.

Youth must be weaned away from the clutches of the religious fundamentalists and a sense of social responsibility need to be inculcated in them to create a peaceful society, he added.

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