Jaishankar on India-Maldives row
"Neither of us wants to blow this out of proportion," External Affairs minister S jaishankar remarked of the India-Maldives issue in an exclusive interview with india Herald. The minister stated that a Maldivian delegation paid a two-day visit to india, adding, "We have an understanding."
Jaishankar discussed different foreign policy concerns and where india stands on the international arena during the free-wheeling discussion about his latest book, 'Why Bharat Matters'. The minister addressed important worries about the Maldives, china, and pakistan, as well as the potential of donald trump returning as president of the United States.
Speaking on the diplomatic issue with the Maldives, jaishankar stated, "I believe that there should be no problem between us over time. I believe the rest of the relationship is strong -- we have many other things going on -- and I hope that the attention switches to that rather than lingering on this one problem.
The secretary of state stated that india is "assessing whether we can have trained non-military personnel to fly medical evacuation aircraft (Maldives has asked india to evacuate its military personnel from the island)."
Regarding diplomatic ties with china, the minister stated that while there are "serious problems" and that china is taking a different stance on the Line of Actual Control, he has stayed firm. "I would say I've met the task in a military sense. The fact that we have been able to deploy so many troops throughout the year in extremely difficult conditions while maintaining a posture that deters Chinese response is an accomplishment in many respects.
He said, while condemning earlier efforts, that the data-border infrastructure has changed over the last decade. "When the Chinese made their attack on the LAC in 2020, we were still under Covid lockdown. I think people don't understand how difficult it was to transport tens of thousands of troops so quickly to those mountains in that cold with the Covid lockdown. According to jaishankar, in order to meet China's challenge, india must produce and develop technology as well as create infrastructure, which have been ignored "even in the era of reform."
Turning to another neighbour, the minister stated that prime minister Narendra Modi desired excellent relations with pakistan from the day he was sworn in. However, "the terror industry or infrastructure" has continued to have a considerable impact on india during the last decade. The minister stated that the bottom line for india and pakistan is the issue of terrorism.
"There's no getting away from it," jaishankar remarked. "It's an issue that has plagued us for a long time, and one of the reasons for this is that we have previously failed to recognise its importance. Since 2014, we have said that you cannot continue with cross-data-border terrorism while saying, 'I'd prefer good relations in all other fields.'"
Jaishankar discussed different foreign policy concerns and where india stands on the international arena during the free-wheeling discussion about his latest book, 'Why Bharat Matters'. The minister addressed important worries about the Maldives, china, and pakistan, as well as the potential of donald trump returning as president of the United States.
Speaking on the diplomatic issue with the Maldives, jaishankar stated, "I believe that there should be no problem between us over time. I believe the rest of the relationship is strong -- we have many other things going on -- and I hope that the attention switches to that rather than lingering on this one problem.
The secretary of state stated that india is "assessing whether we can have trained non-military personnel to fly medical evacuation aircraft (Maldives has asked india to evacuate its military personnel from the island)."
Regarding diplomatic ties with china, the minister stated that while there are "serious problems" and that china is taking a different stance on the Line of Actual Control, he has stayed firm. "I would say I've met the task in a military sense. The fact that we have been able to deploy so many troops throughout the year in extremely difficult conditions while maintaining a posture that deters Chinese response is an accomplishment in many respects.
He said, while condemning earlier efforts, that the data-border infrastructure has changed over the last decade. "When the Chinese made their attack on the LAC in 2020, we were still under Covid lockdown. I think people don't understand how difficult it was to transport tens of thousands of troops so quickly to those mountains in that cold with the Covid lockdown. According to jaishankar, in order to meet China's challenge, india must produce and develop technology as well as create infrastructure, which have been ignored "even in the era of reform."
Turning to another neighbour, the minister stated that prime minister Narendra Modi desired excellent relations with pakistan from the day he was sworn in. However, "the terror industry or infrastructure" has continued to have a considerable impact on india during the last decade. The minister stated that the bottom line for india and pakistan is the issue of terrorism.
"There's no getting away from it," jaishankar remarked. "It's an issue that has plagued us for a long time, and one of the reasons for this is that we have previously failed to recognise its importance. Since 2014, we have said that you cannot continue with cross-data-border terrorism while saying, 'I'd prefer good relations in all other fields.'"