India Can Talk With Russia, Other Nations Within UNSC On Ukraine Issue: EAM
Mobilenews24x7 Bureau
Paris/New Delhi, Feb 22 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that India can talk with Russia and other countries within the UN Security Council on the Ukraine issue, even as he rejected the notion that India had not spoken against Russia massing troops on the Ukrainian border due to New Delhi’s close military ties with Moscow. In an interview to French daily Le Figaro, EAM Jaishankar also spoke out against China’s Belt and Road Initiative projects, which he said are “difficult to understand projects that are neither transparent nor market-driven”.
Asked by the French daily if India’s position on Ukraine is dictated by the fact that Russia is a major supplier of its weapons, Jaishankar said: “I don’t think diplomacy can be reduced to arms supplies and condemnations. There is much more substance and nuance to foreign policy. The situation in Ukraine is the result of a complex chain of circumstances over the last thirty years. “Most countries, such as India and France, which is very active, are seeking a diplomatic solution.
The real question is: are you mobilised to find a good solution or are you content with posturing? “India can talk with Russia, with other countries, within the UN Security Council and supports initiatives like those of France,” he said, referring to President Emmanuel Macron’s frantic diplomatic efforts to speak with Russian and Ukrainian leaders President Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky in the past few weeks to try and de-escalate the situation. Asked about India’s concerns about China in the Indo-Pacific region and Beijing’s New Silk Roads Initiative (BRI), he said: “My concern is that international relations must respect great principles. We all want respect for international law, territorial integrity, national sovereignty and common goods. We want the initiatives of some to be transparent, to have no hidden agenda.
“If the initiatives of country A or country B respect these principles, fine. With regard to the connectivity initiative, we find it difficult to understand projects that are neither transparent nor market-driven. One of the corridor projects, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, violates our territorial integrity because it passes through the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan. This is not acceptable. “ To a question on the India-China military stand-off in eastern Ladakh, he said: “The Chinese had concentrated large forces on the Line of Control in the spring of 2020, in violation of the agreements. We had to deploy our forces in response. And when military forces face each other things can go wrong. This is what happened. There was a clash with soldiers killed on both sides. It affected our bilateral relationship. Since then there have been discussions between military commanders. But it is clear that we will not let either side unilaterally change the status quo.”
Asked if India is ready to restart talks with Pakistan, he said: “Who should make the first move and why? Pakistan, clearly, believes that international terrorism, i.e. harbouring, arming, training and then sending terrorists across borders, is an acceptable form of state action. We do not agree. Our neighbour has made some commitments to us, and it must stick to them.”
With UNI Inputs
