New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that dialogue is the only way to cut through deep-rooted religious stereotypes and prejudices that divide communities across the world and sow seeds of conflict between nations and societies.

“As the inter-connected and inter-dependent world of 21st century battles a number of global challenges, from terrorism to climate change, I am confident that solutions will be found through Asia’s oldest traditions of dialogue and debate,” he said in a video message to the 2nd edition of “Samvad: Global Initiative on Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness” being held in Yangon.

Calling himself a “product of the ancient Indian tradition that firmly believes in dialogue on difficult issues,” the PM said that the ancient Indian Tarka Shastra, a treatise on “dialectics, logic and reasoning” for exchange of views and avoidance of conflict, is based on dialogue and debate. 

“It is only natural,” he said, “that the search for answers be led by humanity’s longest traditions of thought, rooted in various religions, civilizations, and multiple streams of spirituality”.

Talking about the environment, he said man must relate to nature and revere it and not merely consider it a resource to be exploited. If man does not nurture nature, then nature reacts in the form of climate change, he said.

Environmental laws and regulations, while essential in any modern society, afford only an inferior protection to nature, he added, calling for “harmonious environmental consciousness.”