New Delhi: MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified India’s stance on the joint statement condemning Israel’s actions in the West Bank. Earlier, India had not signed the joint statement issued by over 85 countries condemning Israel’s action in the West Bank, but the next day it joined 100 countries and international organisations, and signed it as well. Asked the reason for India’s seeming U-turn, the MEA spokesperson had this to say at a special briefing on Friday: “You all will be aware that the statement that you referred to was not a negotiated document, which is usually the case in the United Nations. Our position on this issue was recently expressed in the India-Arab League ministerial joint statement. In consonance with our position, we have associated ourselves with this initiative.”
He added. “Keeping in mind the concerns addressed by the statement, let me also point out that a number of countries have similarly associated themselves with it after the statement was issued.” The MEA spokesperson was asked as to whether India would join the Board of Peace (BoP) fully in the future, to which he replied.
“India attended the Board of Peace meeting on the 19th of February as an observer. India has supported the Gaza Peace Plan initiative of President Trump and the efforts that are underway due to UN Security Council Resolution 2803.”
On Rafale Jets Being Shot Down
Asked to respond to President Trump’s recent claim that 11 Rafale jets were shot down, Jaiswal said that the Ministry of Defence would be better placed to answer that question. “You would also be well placed to look at what they have said in the past,” he added. The MEA spokesperson was also asked about the status of the India-US trade deal.
Asked to confirm if an Indian trade delegation would be visiting the US and whether the US Secretary of State would visit soon, as stated by US Ambassador Sergio Gor, Jaiswal said. “What I understand is that a delegation from our side, a team led by the chief negotiator from our side, is expected to visit the United States next week. For more details you will have to approach the Commerce Ministry.” On the issue of India stopping the buying of Russian oil and whether it would now buy Venezuelan oil, Jaiswal said.
“On Russian oil and on Venezuelan oil we have made our position very clear. So I would once again request you to look at what we have said in the last few weeks on both these subjects. On Venezuelan oil, we have said if it is commercially viable, we can look forward to buying oil from Venezuela.”
On Bangladesh
On Bangladesh, Jaiswal confirmed that India had reached out to the new Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman. “Our Prime Minister congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister His Excellency Tarique Rahman. On 17th, when the swearing-in ceremony happened, we had our Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Prakash Birla, representing India, and he handed over a letter from the Prime Minister to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. He also had a bilateral meeting with him.”
The MEA spokesperson added. “The letter that was handed over underlined India’s commitment to supporting a democratic, progressive, and inclusive Bangladesh. We want to further strengthen our multifaceted ties with Bangladesh. We look forward to engaging with the new government and taking things forward.” Asked to comment on BNP chairman Tarique Rahman’s adviser Humayun Kabir’s recent remarks that there was growing radicalisation in India, Jaiswal said, “We have a new government in place. We want to build our ties; we want to strengthen our ties. All aspects of our relationship will be discussed, and we will see how best to take our relationship towards a positive direction and build on our warm and historic ties with Bangladesh.”
On EU, the MEA spokesperson clarified the role of the EU legal gateway office that had recently opened in India. “The legal gateway office of the European Union was launched on 18th February, where the External Affairs Minister was there as chief guest along with Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy Henna Virkkunen. This opening was one of the outcomes of the India-EU summit that happened on 27th January.” Jaiswal added. “This is a positive forward movement in India-EU ties because it promotes mobility and creates a platform for Indian students, researchers, and professionals to look for opportunities in the EU. It will start with the IT sector and will possibly be extended to other sectors.”
