Tag: Dr. S. Jaishankar

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Jaishankar, Blinken, affirm strong India-US ties

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Washington. (Photo:https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar)

In a tweet after meeting Jaishankar, Blinken tweeted that they discussed the “India-China border situation”, although Jaishankar and State Department Spokesperson Ned Price made no mention of that topic, reports Arul Louis

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic ravaging India and the rising global tensions, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has capped two days of whirlwind diplomacy in Washington by meeting Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin as they sought to deepen the ties between their countries.

His meetings on Friday with the two cabinet officials and earlier with national security officials and Congressional leaders signalled the high priority the two countries gave to strategic cooperation.

With those leaders and business groups, Jaishankar also discussed the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic and the joint efforts to fight it.

In a tweet after meeting Jaishankar, Blinken tweeted that they discussed the “India-China border situation”, although Jaishankar and State Department Spokesperson Ned Price made no mention of that topic. India has faced border incursions by China and a clash with fatalities over the last two years, during which Washington backed New Delhi.

ALSO READ: India calls for safety of UN peacekeepers

“As friends, we will work together to address these areas of shared concern,” Blinken added mentioning also regional security and economic priorities, US Covid-19 relief efforts, and support for Afghanistan, from where the US is scheduled to pull out its troops after a 20-year deployment.

Jaishankar tweeted after their discussions with Blinken, “Today’s talks have further solidified our strategic partnership and enlarged our agenda of cooperation.”

Jaishankar
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (Photo: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

With Lloyd he had “a comprehensive conversation about further developing our strategic and defence partnership (and) Exchanged views on contemporary security challenges,” Jaishankar tweeted.

US spokespersons said after the separate meetings on Friday that the leaders pledged to continue to deepen ties between the two countries.

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that Blinken “reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment to deepening the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership”.

He added that “a shared commitment to combating the climate crisis and enhancing multilateral cooperation” was another topic in their talks.

Jaishankar tweeted that they had “also focused on Indo-US vaccine partnership aimed at expanding access and ensuring supply.” He added, “Appreciated strong solidarity expressed by US at this time.”

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets NSA Jake Sullivan (Credit: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

He said that the Indo-Pacific and the Quad — made up of the two countries and Japan and Australia — and Afghanistan, Myanmar, the United Nations Security Council, where India is currently an elected member, and other international organisations were discussed.

And Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby said that Austin and Jaishankar pledged to continue “strengthening the US-India Major Defense Partnership. They also discussed opportunities to deepen coordination amid the resurgence of Covid-19 cases.”

Kirby said that they discussed “shared priorities in the US-India strategic partnership and exchange views on a range of regional security challenges”.

Austin said he “looks forward to hosting Minister Jaishankar and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year” that the US is scheduled to host, Kirby added.

In his tweet, Jaishankar said that he “expressed appreciation of the US military role in responding to the Covid situation” in India.

The US Air Force flew in supplies of oxygen, equipment to make the gas, personal protection gear and other material to help India face the deadly second wave pandemic.

On Thursday, Jaishankar had met with the top strategic officials, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines (Photo: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

Jaishankar tweeted that he had “wide-ranging discussions including on Indo-Pacific and Afghanistan” with Sullivan and “conveyed appreciation for US solidarity in addressing the Covid challenge” where “India-US vaccine partnership can make a real difference”.

About his meeting with Haines, he tweeted, “Look forward to working closely together to address contemporary security challenges and advance our strategic partnership.”

The administration of President Joe Biden recently came out in support of a request by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organisation to waive patents for vaccine and after meeting US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Jaishankar said in a tweet that he welcomed her “positive stance” on the issue and her support for efficient and robust supply chains.

He added, “Our trade, technology & business cooperation are at the core of our strategic partnership. Enhancing them is vital to post-Covid economic recovery.”

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (Photo @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

On Capitol Hill, Jaishankar’s outreach to Congressional leaders went off smoothly without any interference from Indian American member of the House of Representatives Pramila Jayapal, who is a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In 2019, a meeting between Jaishankar and the House Foreign Affairs Committee was cancelled after Jayapal was added to the list of participants although she was not a member of the panel.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who just ended her unsuccessful run for president, jumped into the fray criticising Jaishankar. “It’s wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress what members are allowed in meetings on Capitol Hill,” implying that an Indian leader could not have any autonomy and is obligated to be subservient to US politicians.

Jaishankar has so far not met Harris, who by protocol does not have to meet him. While she has had telephone conversations with several prime ministers and foreign ministers as part of her foreign policy apprenticeship, she has not spoken to any Indian leaders.

Jaishankar met with Gregory Meeks, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Michael McCaul, the Republican leader on the panel and discussed the Quad and cooperation on vaccines, the minister tweeted. He added that he recognised “their leadership in building stronger ties”.

He also met with the Co-chairs of the House India Caucus Brad Sherman, a Democrat, and Steve Chabot, a Republican.

Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting, “The US Congress has been a tremendous pillar of support as India meets the Covid challenge.”

He and India’s Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu also had dinner with Sherman, who tweeted afterwards, “Learned how #India is fighting #COVID19 and working to disentangle its economy from China.”

Members of the US-India Business Council (USIBC), the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and the US Global Task Force on Pandemic Relief also met Jaishankar.

The Indian embassy tweeted that he “appreciated the US private sector’s swift response in India’s fight against the pandemic” and the participation of CEOs of US companies, their support for India’s efforts against the pandemic, and the “US industry’s firm commitment to advance India-US trade, investment and technology partnership”.

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Terror an arm of Pak’s foreign policy, says Jaishankar

Speaking to former NSA General HR McMaster at an event here, India’s external affairs minister lauds LoC ceasefire but adds that Islamabad needs to stop terrorism as a state policy, reports Asian Lite News

Noting that the recent agreement between India and Pakistan on LoC ceasefire is a “good step”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday explained that there are “obviously bigger issues” between the neighbouring countries, adding that since 1947, part of the problem has been cross-border terrorism.

Speaking to former US National Security Adviser (NSA) General HR McMaster at an event here, Jaishankar said, “We had an agreement few weeks ago that we would not fire across LoC. That is a good step. But I think there are bigger issues. At the end of the day, the two neighbors have to find ways… Since 1947, part of the problem has been cross-border terrorism.”

“At this point of time, is that we had agreement some weeks ago between our director generals of military operation that you we would not find across at each other across the Line of Control, mainly because there’s been infiltration from that side,” Jaishankar said, adding, “So, the basis for not firing is very clear because the reason for firing is infiltration so if there is no infiltration there’s obviously no reason to fire. That’s a good step. But I think there are obviously bigger issues.”

He said, “And you also pointed out that from 1947 Part of the problem has been the use of cross border terrorists. The real global challenges are, indeed, you know, these examples pandemics, Climate Change terrorism,” he added.

Talking about the terrorism, Jaishankar said, “You’re very familiar with is the terrorist ecosystem that exists in Pakistan, in particular, and the danger that that poses India as India has been on the receiving end of many terrorist attacks since 1947 it’s been an arm. Terrorism has been an arm of the Pakistan states foreign policy essentially as since 1947, What do you see is the trajectory in connection with the strength and danger associated with each hottest terrorist organisations and what is India doing to protect itself from, the threat from groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and others that are determined to commit mass murder as an element as an element of a foreign policy and organizations are sponsored by the Pakistani state.”

Jaishankar arrived in the US on May 24, and is slated to visit many senior officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his stay till May 28.

Indias-External-Affairs-Minister-Dr-S.-Jaishankar-meets-US-Secretary-of-State-Antony-Blinken-in-London-
Jaishankar to meet Defence Secretary

Jaishankar is scheduled to meet Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on Friday, the Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said on Wednesday.

India is engaged in talks with various US entities involved in Covid vaccines production and is looking forward to procuring and subsequently producing these vaccines. The issue of vaccine procurement is expected to be a key agenda item during Jaishankar’s interaction with US leadership and other stakeholders.

US is playing a lead role in assisting India’s fight against the COVID-19 virus. It has already provided large oxygen plants, concentrators, critical medicines like Remdesivir and also raw materials for vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII), which is manufacturing Covishield.

‘World won’t be same after the pandemic’

Speaking on the pressing needs of countries due to Covid-19, Jaishankar said that there cannot be a world that is partly vaccinated or partly neglected because that world would not be safe.

Replying to a query by General McMaster on emerging doubts over the effectiveness of democratic processes and institutions, he said: “I don’t know if there are doubts in other parts of the world, but I want to tell you bluntly there are no doubts in India. We Indians are extremely confident of our democracy, we believe that’s really the political system and the value system that suits us.”

“It captures our fundamental diversity and the culture of really reasoning and coming to positions and an acceptance of what the rules of the day are. Over the last 75 years, we have held multiple elections, we have peaceful transitions of power. There are elections at different levels, one test is when you have changes of the party in power at different levels, that itself is proof that democracy is worth it,” he said.

He further said that no one in India would trade democracy with an alternative form of governance, despite its difficulties and complexities.

When asked about the rising assertiveness of its neighbour China, the EAM commented that if there was a sharp increase of power in one particular state, it would result in consequences, which was not unique in international relations.

Jaishankar further remarked that it was very obvious that Indo-Pacific is very central to the prospects of the world and welfare to the world.

ALSO READ: Jaishankar holds strategy session in NY

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Jaishankar skips China convened Security Council meet

S. Jaishankar

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla represented India at Friday’s high-level meeting on multilateralism that was presided over by Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, reports Arul Louis

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has boycotted a high-level Security Council meeting at the ministerial level that was convened by China, which is the body’s President for this month.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla represented India at Friday’s high-level meeting on multilateralism that was presided over by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Coming amid tensions between India and China, Jaishankar’s absence stood out as the other 14 members of the Security Council sent minister-level officials to the meeting held virtually.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves participated in the meeting.

Seven other countries sent their foreign ministers to the meeting that had the formal title of “Maintenance Of International Peace and Security: Upholding Multilateralism and the UN-Centered International System.”

The remaining three were represented at the sub-cabinet ministerial level by Ministers of State Tariq Ahmad of Britain and Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne of France and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo, who functions as the de facto Foreign Minister.

Also Read – Blinken, Jaishankar meet in London, discuss Covid situation

The country that holds the Council presidency for the month holds what are called signature events e high-level meetings usually at the ministerial-level e on topics of special interest to it.

China is planning two more signature meetings, on Africa and Covid-19 recovery, and on improving the safety of peacekeepers.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. (Photo: IANS/MEA)

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic many meetings of the Council are held virtually facilitating the greater participation of ministers who don’t have to make the trip to New York. That makes absences noticeable.

Since India joined the Security Council as a non-permanent member in January, Jaishankar has participated in the ministerial-level Security Council meetings convened by the presidents for the month, Vietnam in April, Britain in February and Tunisia in January.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar also spoke at the high-level meeting on climate change called by Britain in February and presided over by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Also Read – Priti, Jaishankar sign Migration & Mobility partnership

When the US was in the chair in March, its signature meeting, Conflict and Food Security, was presided over by Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who has cabinet status, rather than Blinken.

Some countries including China, France and Russia did not send ministerial-level representatives and only their permanent representatives participated.

T.S. Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative at UN

That was the case with India: Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti participated in the meeting.

India will get a chance to hold its own signature events when it presides over the Council in August.

Shringla in his speech on Friday at the Council asserted that global vulnerabilities and fault lines have been exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is the lack of a coordinated global response that has exposed the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the multilateral system as it stands today, providing a timely reminder for the pressing need for comprehensive reform,” he said.

“While the pandemic exposed the fault lines from unreliable global supply chains to inequitable vaccine distribution, it has also underlined the need for global solidarity and strengthened multilateralism,” he added.

He pointed out that India provided Covid-19 vaccines, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to more than 150 countries and said, “In that same spirit of friendship and solidarity, we extend deep appreciation to those that have come forward to provide us with some priority requirements to battle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that we are currently facing.”

China
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Shringla also reiterated the demand for Council reforms, saying, “Today, the UN has 193 Member States, nearly a fourfold increase from 1945. The narrow representation and privileges of a few in the primary decision-making organ of the UN poses a serious challenge to its credibility and effectiveness. How can we explain the contradiction of Africa not being represented in the Security Council in the permanent category, even though African issues dominate its agenda?”

In an indirect dig at China, he said India’s aid “fostered global socio-economic development through transparent, viable, sustainable and demand-driven partnership programmes.”

China’s aid programmes have been criticised for lack of transparency and driving the recipients to unrepayable debts that lead to loss of assets.

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Equitable access to vaccines critical, says Jaishankar

External affairs minister backs India’s ability to manufacture a range of Covid-19 vaccines, says this couldn’t be seen as a one-way street, reports Asian Lite News.

Equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines can be achieved only with the creation of additional manufacturing capabilities in countries such as India, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had said.

Participating in a session at the Raisina Dialogue that focused on vaccines and global expectations, Jaishankar held up India’s ability to manufacture a range of Covid-19 vaccines as an example of global cooperation and said this couldn’t be seen as a “one-way street”.

“Equitable access [to vaccines] is critically important in this [fight against the pandemic], because we all know that no one will be safe till everyone is safe,” he said during the virtual session moderated by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman.

There is a need for additional production capabilities for vaccines, and without it, “distributive justice by itself will not be adequate”, he added.

A health worker analyses samples of COVID-19 vaccines, developed by Chinese company Sinovac

Jaishankar said he could understand a country’s decision to focus on protecting its own people when it comes under stress because of rising infections and noted that the number of Covid-19 cases in India is going up too and the government chose to deal with the immediate challenge.

“To the extent that you have margins and the ability and the obligation to help others, I think it’s the decent thing to do. Doing good is also doing smart,” he said.

Noting that India’s ability to make vaccines is a result of international cooperation, he added: “International cooperation is not a one-way street where we are giving things to other people and somewhere short-changing ourselves.”

Jaishankar’s comments came against the backdrop of the Indian government’s decision to exercise greater control over vaccine exports following a sudden spike in Covid-19 infections.

India added over two lakh new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, an unprecedented figure, to take its toll to over 1.4 crore. India has been the world’s worst-hit country since April 2, forcing states scrambling to impose curbs to control the virus.

So far, India has provided 65.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to 90 countries, including 10.6 million doses supplied as grants. India’s deliveries of vaccines to other countries followed on from its work in providing humanitarian aid to numerous countries after natural disasters and its actions to address climate crisis, Jaishankar said.

The Indian government’s partnership with the Gates Foundation is a “global fairness coalition” aimed at ensuring that weaker and vulnerable people in some countries don’t get left behind, he said. The work done by Indian vaccine manufacturer with the WHO-backed COVAX facility is ensuring that African and Caribbean countries which don’t have wherewithal to access the market get timely assistance, he added.

Part of India’s rise would be to demonstrate that its additional capabilities are in the “hands of a country which embraces the world”, said Jaishankar.

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Reimagining Diplomacy in the Post-COVID World: An Indian Perspective | Opinion

Real globalization is more about pandemics, climate change and terrorism. They must constitute the core of diplomatic deliberations. As we saw in 2020, overlooking such challenges comes at a huge cost…writes Dr. S. Jaishankar

We enter 2021, hoping to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us. While each society has dealt with it uniquely, global diplomacy will nevertheless focus on common concerns and shared lessons. Much of that revolves around the nature of globalization.

Our generation has been conditioned to think of that largely in economic terms. The general sense is one of trade, finance, services, communication, technology and mobility. This expresses the interdependence and interpenetration of our era. What COVID, however, brought out was the deeper indivisibility of our existence.

Indian Student activists carry posters and shout slogans as they participate in a protest march against climate change, in New Delhi on India, 19 March, 2021 (Pallav Paliwal)

Real globalization is more about pandemics, climate change and terrorism. They must constitute the core of diplomatic deliberations. As we saw in 2020, overlooking such challenges comes at a huge cost.

Despite its many benefits, the world has also seen strong reactions to globalization. Much of that arises from unequal benefits, between and within societies. Regimes and dispensations that are oblivious to such happenings are therefore being challenged. We must ensure that this is not about winners and losers, but about nurturing sustainable communities everywhere.

A police officer receives the COVID-19 vaccination at a police hospital.

COVID-19 has also redefined our understanding of security. Until now, nations thought largely in military, intelligence, economic, and perhaps, cultural terms. Today, they will not only assign greater weight to health security but increasingly worry about trusted and resilient supply chains. The stresses of the COVID-19 era brought out the fragility of our current situation. Additional engines of growth are needed to de-risk the global economy, as indeed is more transparency and market-viability.

Multilateral institutions have not come out well from this experience. Quite apart from controversies surrounding them, there was not even a pretense of a collective response to the most serious global crisis since 1945. This is cause for serious introspection. Reforming multilateralism is essential to creating effective solutions.

Fashioning a robust response to the COVID-19 challenge is set to dominate global diplomacy in 2021. In its own way, India has set an example. That it has done by defying prophets of doom and creating the health wherewithal to minimize its fatality rate and maximize its recovery rate. An international comparison of these numbers tells its own story. Not just that, India also stepped forward as the pharmacy of the world, supplying medicines to more than 150 countries, many as grants.

As our nation embarks on a mass vaccination effort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance that it would help make vaccines accessible and affordable to the world is already being implemented. The first consignments of Made in India vaccines have reached not only our neighbors like Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka but partners far beyond like Brazil and Morocco.

Other key global challenges today deserve similar attention. As a central participant in reaching the Paris agreement, India has stood firm with regard to combating climate change. Its renewable energy targets have multiplied, its forest cover has grown, its bio-diversity has expanded and its focus on water utilization has increased. Practices honed at home are now applied to its development partnerships in Africa and elsewhere. By example and energy, Indian diplomacy is leading the way, including through the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure initiatives.

The challenge of countering terrorism and radicalization is also a formidable one. As a society, long subjected to cross-border terrorist attacks, India has been active in enhancing global awareness and encouraging coordinated action. It will be a major focus in India’s diplomacy as a non-permanent member of the Security Council and in forums like FATF and G20.

Among the takeaways from the COVID-19 experience has been the power of the digital domain. Whether it was contact tracing or the provision of financial and food support, India’s digital focus after 2014 has yielded impressive results. The “work from anywhere” practice was as strongly enhanced by COVID-19 as the “study from home” one. All these will help expand the toolkit of India’s development programs abroad and assist the recovery of many partners.

2020 also saw the largest repatriation exercise in history–the return home of more than 4 million Indians. This alone brings out the importance of mobility in contemporary times. As smart manufacturing and the knowledge economy take deeper root, the need for trusted talent will surely grow. Facilitating its movement through diplomacy is in the global interest.

A return to normalcy in 2021 will mean safer travel, better health, economic revival and digitally driven services. They will be expressed in new conversations and fresh understandings. The world after COVID-19 will be more multi-polar, pluralistic and rebalanced. And India, with its experiences, will help make a difference.

(Dr. S. Jaishankar is the Minister of External Affairs of India and author of “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World.” The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.)

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