Focus on finding peaceful solution to Af, say Blinken and Jaishankar
India and the US on Wednesday reaffirmed that they are committed to strengthening democratic institutions with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying shared values — freedom and equality — are key to the relationship between the two nations.
Stressing this point here after talks between the US Secretary of State and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, both the leaders also said they were focused on finding a peaceful solution to the ongoing Afghanistan conflict.
The two Ministers held wide-ranging parleys covering the situation in Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific engagements, Covid-19 response mechanism and ways to strengthen regional security. Blinken also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval.
Addressing a joint media conference after extensive discussions, Blinken underlined there are few relationships in the world that are more vital than the one between the US and India.
At the same time, he said as the world’s leading democracies, “We take seriously our responsibilities” towards freedom, equality and opportunity to all of “our people.” He also said both the democracies are “work in progress.”
His observations came days after US Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Dean Thompson said last week Blinken will raise issues of human rights and democracy during his visit to New Delhi.
Reacting to this, India had said it is prepared to engage with the US on issues relating to human rights and democracy. Moreover, following Thompson’s comments, sources had said India is proud of its achievements in upholding democratic values and human rights and it is open to engaging with those who recognise diversity.
Jaishankar said the talks took place at an important juncture when key global and regional challenges needed to be effectively addressed. “Our bilateral partnership enhanced to a level that it enables us to deal collaboratively with larger issues,” he said.
The issue of the coronavirus pandemic was naturally a particular priority, Jaishankar said, adding the two leaders discussed travel challenges resulting from Covid.
Elaborating upon the talks, he said India and US reviewed the situation in Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific and the Gulf region. On Afghanistan, Jaishankar said the world wishes to see an independent, sovereign, democratic and stable Afghanistan.
He also said India and US are of the same view that the ongoing conflict can only resolved through dialogue and peaceful means and not on the “battlefield”.
Highlighting the growing role of India and the US at the global stage, Blinken said actions by both the nations shape the 21st century and beyond, and that is why strengthening partnership with India is one of the top foreign policy priorities of the US.
Referring to Afghanistan, Blinken said both India and the US are committed to the proposition that there is no military solution to the conflict in that country. India “has and will” continue to make a vital contribution to Afghanistan’s stability and development, he added.
During his hour-long meeting with Doval, Blinken discussed bilateral and regional issues with a focus on taking the ties between the two nations to the “next level”.
They reviewed the situation in Afghanistan as well as the Indo-Pacific engagement, sources said. Also, both sides discussed strategic issues of importance in security, defence, economic and technology-related sectors, adding special attention was given on long term measures to take the relationship to the next level.
It was Blinken’s first visit to India after assuming charge as the US Secretary of State and the third by a high-ranking Biden administration official after it came to power in January. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited India in March while US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry travelled to New Delhi in April.