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India should not be criticised for having diverse choices: Jaishankar's response on Russian oil

by Trans World Features | @twfindia 18 Feb 2024, 08:12 am

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday asserted that India's freedom to make diverse choices should not be criticised in response to a question about its foreign policy priorities in the backdrop of observations from its transition from "non-alignment to all alignment".

He made these comments during an interactive session at a security conference in Munich, alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

The moderator highlighted India's continuing procurement of crude oil from Russia despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"Why should it be a problem? I am smart enough to have multiple options. You should be admiring and not criticising. Is it a problem for others? I do not think so," he said.

Jaishankar elaborated on the various influences and pressures that countries encounter. He underscored that each nation has its own unique historical background and set of challenges, making it difficult to maintain a one-dimensional relationship.

"I do not want you, even inadvertently, to give the impression that we are purely and unsentimentally transactional. We are not. We get along with people, we believe in things, we share things...but there are times when you are located in different places, different levels of development, different experiences, all of that gets into it," he explained.

"So, life is complicated, life is differentiated," he said.

"Good partners provide choices, smart partners take some of those choices," Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister also called the attacks on Israeli cities by Hamas as acts of terrorism.

However, he also underscored that Israel, in its response, is obligated to adhere to international humanitarian law. Further, he reiterated India's longstanding stance supporting a "two-state solution" for the Palestine issue.

In response to the Hamas attacks, Israel has initiated a military offensive in Gaza. India has unequivocally condemned Hamas' actions and has consistently called for a de-escalation of the conflict.

Addressing a query, the External Affairs Minister noted that the formation of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) grouping occurred during a period of significant Western dominance.

Last year, about 30 countries expressed interest in joining BRICS because they recognized its value, Jaishankar said. He remarked, "There must be something good we have done."

"I think it is important today to make a distinction between being non-West and anti-West. I would certainly characterise India as a country which is non-West but which has extremely strong relations with the Western countries that is getting better by the day," he added.