New Delhi: The Indian government Friday said it “values its strategic autonomy” as well as the space in its bilateral relationship with the US that allows for differing opinions.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was responding to US Ambassador Eric Garcetti’s remarks last week. Garcetti had said there’s “no such thing as strategic autonomy” in times of conflict, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia.
“India, like many other countries, values its strategic autonomy. The US ambassador is entitled to his opinion. We also have our own and different views,” Jaiswal told reporters.
He added: “Our comprehensive global strategic partnership with the US gives us the space to agree to disagree on certain issues, while respecting each other’s viewpoints.”
On 11 July, while speaking at the US-India Defense News Conclave in New Delhi, the US ambassador had said: “I respect that India likes its strategic autonomy. But in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy.”
Ties between India and the US have faced challenges of late. There have been concerns in the White House about Modi’s visit to Russia, which coincided with preparations for the NATO summit in Washington DC as well as ongoing discussions on claims that Indian agents played a role in a foiled bid to murder Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Jaishankar and Ukrainian FM speak
Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting fell on the same day a missile struck a children’s hospital in Kyiv. This drew ire from the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said Modi’s hug with Putin was a “disappointment” and a “blow to peace efforts”.
On Friday, 10 days after Zelenskyy’s comments, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar held a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.
Building on my visit to New Delhi earlier this year and the meeting between President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Modi in Italy, I spoke with my Indian counterpart @DrSJaishankar about the further development of Ukrainian-Indian bilateral relations.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) July 19, 2024
The Indian side is yet to issue an official readout of the conversation. The MEA, however, maintains that the call was limited to “bilateral issues of mutual interest”.
MEA on Trump assassination attempt
Responding to a question about the assassination attempt on Trump last weekend, the Indian government said political violence has no place in the US which is a “fellow democracy”.
“We’ve seen reports of the attack on the former president. Within hours, our Prime Minister expressed his deep concerns and condemned the incident,” said the MEA spokesperson.
“The US is a fellow democracy. And we wish them well,” he added.
On 13 July, Trump was shot in the ear while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania. As security agents swarmed, he pumped a fist in the air, mouthing the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
On Friday, former foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra was officially appointed India’s next ambassador to the US. Kwatra will face challenges spurred by Modi’s recent visit to Russia, as well as the alleged Pannun murder plot.
Top US officials like National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell visited Delhi in recent months where concerns about Modi’s visit to Moscow were also aired.
More so, New Delhi is keeping an eye on the upcoming elections in the US slated for November. US President Joe Biden is seeking re-election against his rival Donald Trump, who saw his national lead over the sitting president grow after surviving the assassination attempt last weekend.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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