News Analysis India

Tag: S Jaishankar

  • Motivated campaigns targeting India won’t succeed: S Jaishankar on global support for farmers’ stir

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Motivated campaigns targeting India will never succeed, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday, in comments that came on a day his ministry hit out singer Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg for their support to farmers agitating against the new agricultural laws.

    ALSO READ| India equipped to resolve crisis amicably: Lata Mangeshkar

    A tweet by Rihanna extending support to protesting farmers triggered a wave of support for them by a number of global celebrities, activists and politicians. “Motivated campaigns targeting India will never succeed. We have the self confidence today to hold our own. This India will push back,” Jaishankar said on Twitter with hastags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.

    Motivated campaigns targeting India will never succeed. We have the self confidence today to hold our own. This India will push back. #IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda
    — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 3, 2021

    In a strong response to the remarks made by Rihanna and other celebrities and activists, the Ministry of External Affairs earlier said the “temptation” of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments is “neither accurate, nor responsible”.

    Besides Rihanna, Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, Meena Harris, an American lawyer and niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris, actress Amanda Cerni, singers Jay Sean, Dr Zeus and former adult star Mia Khalifa too voiced their support to the protesting farmers.

    Rihanna on Tuesday became the first global name to voice her support to the ongoing farmers agitation while criticising the Internet shutdown at the protest sites at Delhi border.

    ALSO READ| Akshay, Ajay and others say ‘India against propaganda’ after Rihanna, Greta support farmers protest

    In its reaction, the MEA also said some “vested interest groups” are trying to enforce their agenda on the protests and that a very small section of farmers in parts of the country have some reservations about the farm reforms which were passed by the Parliament after a full debate and discussion.

    “Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken,” the MEA said in the statement on ‘recent comments by foreign individuals and entities on the farmers’ protests’.

    Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting at three border points on the outskirts of Delhi demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws.

  • EAM Jaishankar holds telephonic talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday spoke to newly appointed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during which they expressed commitment to consolidate and expand the India-US strategic partnership and reiterated commitment to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

    The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Jaishankar and Blinken appreciated the robust defence and security ties, growing economic engagement, productive health-care collaboration and strong people-to-people linkages between the two nations.

    ​ALSO READ | Biden admin to remain committed to a strong US-India bilateral relationship: Pentagon

    “Recognising the challenges of a post-Covid world, they agreed to work together to address global issues, including safe and affordable vaccine supply. They also reiterated their commitment to peace and security, especially in the Indo-Pacific region,” the MEA said in a statement. It said Jaishankar and Blinken expressed their commitment to consolidate and expand the “multi-faceted strategic partnership”.

    “The external affairs minister warmly congratulated Secretary Blinken on his appointment and wished him success in his new responsibilities,” it said.

    The Joe Biden administration began formal engagement with top Indian leaders on Wednesday with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan holding telephonic conversation with their Indian counterparts, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and NSA Ajit Doval.

  • Low-intensity explosion near Israel Embassy in Delhi, all airports on high alert

    By Agencies
    NEW DELHI: A low-intensity explosion occurred near the Israel Embassy in the national capital on Friday.

    Delhi Police said that the explosion took place at the roadside of 5 Aurangzeb Road in the heart of the city. Fire brigade, SWAT and forensic teams rushed to the spot soon after the incident that took place at around 5 pm.

    #WATCH | Delhi Police team near the Israel Embassy where a low-intensity explosion happened.Nature of explosion being ascertained. Some broken glasses at the spot. No injuries reported; further investigation underway pic.twitter.com/RphSggzeOa
    — ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2021

    According to sources, “the improvised device was found in a flower pot on road divider near Jindal House, Delhi. It appears that it was thrown from a moving vehicle”.

    As per fire department information, they received the call at 5.11 pm, and three fire tenders were pressed into service. The windowpanes of a vehicle parked nearby were damaged. Meanwhile, an alert has been issued at all airports across the country, important installations and government buildings in view of blast reported.

    Spoke just now to Israeli FM @Gabi_Ashkenazi about the explosion outside the Israeli Embassy. We take this very seriously. Assured him of the fullest protection for the Embassy and Israeli diplomats. Matter is under investigation and no effort will be spared to find the culprits.
    — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 29, 2021

    The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “An explosion recently occurred near the Israeli embassy in India. There were no casualties in the blast and no damage to the building. The incident is under investigation by the authorities in India who are in contact with the relevant Israeli authorities. The Foreign Minister is regularly updated on the incident and instructed to take all necessary security measures”.

    Reacting to the blast, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said any attempt to disturb peace should be firmly dealt with.

    Concerned by the news of a blast near Israeli Embassy in Delhi. Agencies are determining the nature and cause of the blast. Thankfully, no loss of life reported yet. Any attempt to disturb the peace of Delhi shud be firmly dealt with
    — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 29, 2021

    “The nature and cause of the blast near Israel Embassy is being determined,” he said in a Tweet.

    There is a heavy deployment of police personnel and APJ Abdul Kalam Road road has been cordoned off.

    Officials said that they are scanning footage of CCTV cameras installed nearby to ascertain the sequence of events.

    Senior officers of the Delhi Police are on the spot.

    After the blast, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which guards vital installations in the nuclear and aerospace domain, civil airports and central government buildings in the national capital has put on alert all its units across the country, official sources said.

    It has asked its personnel to enhance vigil and maintain a “high level of alert”, they said.

    ​(Inputs from ANI, PTI)

  • EAM Jaishankar outlines eight principles for repairing India-China ties

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday outlined eight broad principles for repairing ties between India and China that included strict adherence to all agreements on management of the Line of Actual Control, mutual respect and sensitivity, and recognising each other’s aspirations as rising Asian powers.

    In an address at an online conference on India-China ties, Jaishankar said the events in eastern Ladakh last year have profoundly disturbed the relationship and asserted that any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo along the LAC is “completely unacceptable”.

    The external affairs minister said any expectation that the situation at the border “can be brushed aside and life can carry on undisturbed” is simply not realistic.

    Jaishankar said the India-China relationship is truly at the crossroads today and choices that are made will have profound repercussions not just for the two nations but for the entire world.

    He said the Chinese actions in eastern Ladakh not only signalled a disregard for commitments about minimising troops level but also showed a willingness to breach peace and tranquillity.

    “Significantly, to date, we have yet to receive a credible explanation for the change in China’s stance and massing of troops in border areas,” he said at the All India Conference on China Studies.

    Elaborating on eight points for moving forward in bilateral ties, the external affairs minister said agreements already reached on management of the LAC must be adhered to in their entirety and in letter and spirit.

    “Whether handling of the border areas is concerned, the Line of Actual Control must be strictly observed and respected. Any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo is completely unacceptable,” he said.

    While both nations are committed to a multi-polar world, Jaishankar said, there should be a recognition that a multi-polar Asia is one of its essential consequences.

    “Obviously each state will have its interests, concerns and priorities, but sensitivity to them cannot be one-sided. At the end of the day relationships between major states are reciprocal in nature,” he said.

    Jaishankar said as rising powers, each nation will have their own set of aspirations and their pursuit to it cannot be ignored.

    He said peace and tranquillity in border areas is the basis for development of ties with China in other domains and if it is disturbed, “so inevitably is rest of the relationship”.

    The external affairs minister said far from mitigating already existing differences, events of 2020 have actually put the relationship under “exceptional stress” Any expectation that the situation at border can be brushed aside and life can carry on undisturbed is simply not realistic, he said.

    He said if ties are to progress, policies must take into account the learnings of the last three decades.

  • Gyawali-Jaishankar summit: Vaccine, border to figure in India-Nepal talks

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali on Thursday arrived in India for a two-day visit during which he will meet his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and is expected to discuss the boundary issue and cooperation on Covid vaccine.

    The Nepalese foreign minister will meet Jaishankar on Friday after which he will co-chair the meeting of the India-Nepal joint commission.

    The sixth joint commission meeting “will discuss the whole gamut of Nepal-India bilateral relations, including trade, transit, energy, boundary, COVID-19 cooperation, infrastructure, connectivity, investment, agriculture, tourism, culture, among others”, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

    The Nepalese foreign secretary and the health secretary are part of Gyawali’s delegation, indicating that the focus of the discussions will revolve around procuring Covid vaccine from India.

    The move assumes significance as Nepal has indicated preference for Indian vaccines over China’s Sinovac due to factors like the pricing and the already well-established ties between the two neighbours in the health sector.

    Sources said that the Nepalese side is looking to procure around 12 million doses of the vaccine.

    However, India over the past few days has made it clear that the ability to export vaccines will be clear only after a few weeks after its domestic needs are satisfied. New Delhi has also asserted that its neighbours will get priority in the export of vaccines.

    Apart from the vaccine cooperation, the boundary issue is also likely to come up for discussion. India-Nepal relations hit a roadblock after the KP Sharma Oli government had laste year approved a new political map which featured the Indian territories of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura.

    India had slammed the move, calling it unjustified cartographic assertion. Sources in the MEA said as Oli is currently running a caretaker government after dissolving the Nepal Parliament, discussions on the boundary issue are not likely to move forward. 

  • Relations with China disturbed by bloodshed last year, says S Jaishankar

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said the relationship between India and China has been profoundly disturbed by the bloody face-off along the LAC in June last year.

    “After 45 years, you’ve had bloodshed on the border. And that’s had a huge impact on public opinion and politically…really the impact on trust and confidence in India where China and their relationship is concerned.

    ALSO READ | China moves troops at rear, but no change in deployment along LAC

    That has been profoundly disturbed,” Jaishankar said referring to the violent skirmish at the Galwan Valley in which death 20 Indian soldiers had died.  The minister added that China was yet to offer an explanation for deploying a large number of troops along the LAC.

    “Now last year, for reasons which are not clear to us, the Chinese brought an enormous military force to one part of the border. And then at the LAC, obviously we moved up when we saw them coming,” Jaishankar said. On relations with the US, the minister said the ties were on an upward swing.   

  • India to give priority to Sri Lanka while supplying COVID vaccine to other nations: EAM

    By PTI
    COLOMBO: India has agreed to give priority to Sri Lanka when supplying its COVID-19 vaccine to other countries, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday told Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, according to an official statement issued here.

    The Drug Controller General of India on Sunday approved the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech, for restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for a massive inoculation drive.

    The president told the Indian minister that Sri Lanka wishes to obtain the Indian vaccine, Rajapaksa’s office said in a statement.

    According to the statement, Jaishankar told President Rajapaksa that India has agreed to give priority to Sri Lanka when supplying the Indian vaccine to other countries.

    The two countries discussed further areas of cooperation, including the Colombo port’s eastern container terminal, it said.

    The port’s proposed deal with India has created a political controversy in the recent weeks as trade unions of Rajapaksa’s own party stand vehemently opposed to the deal.

    On Wednesday, Prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament officially denied any formal deal with India or any other country on the Colombo port while responding to an Opposition query.

    Other ongoing Indian projects in Sri Lanka were also discussed during the meeting between the President and the visiting External Affairs Minister.

    The President also discussed with Jaishankar ways to revive tourism as the two countries have decided to hold joint discussions with India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives on reviving tourism which was hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

    Jaishankar is on a three-day visit here from December 5 to 7 at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Gunawardena.

    This is the first visit by a foreign dignitary to Sri Lanka in the new year.

    A group of Ukrainian tourists became the first batch of holidayers to visit Sri Lanka last month in more than eight months after the island nation put curbs on international travel due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

    Sri Lanka’s two international airports were closed in mid-March last year, as the country went into a lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

    The lockdown was gradually lifted by mid-May.

    Initial plans were to open international flight by the end of August but the COVID-19 cases abroad rose and the plans were stalled.

    The country was hit by a coronavirus second wave in October.

    Earlier last month, Sri Lankan authorities said they would resume international flight operations from December 26.

    However, the latest date for re-opening international travel was also deferred.

    The Sri Lankan government has incentivised air travel in the months following the COVID-19-induced air travel break, offering zero parking fee and landing costs for international operators.

    Sri Lanka had seen a major surge in COVID-19 infections since early October.

    The number of deaths which stood at just 13 by October have now passed the 200 mark.

  • EAM Jaishankar reaches Sri Lanka for 3-day official visit

    By PTI
    COLOMBO: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday reached Colombo for a three-day visit during which he will hold discussions with Sri Lanka’s top leadership on the entire gamut of bilateral relations.

    Jaishankar’s visit from December 5 to 7 following an invitation by his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena is his first foreign visit of the year.

    This is also the first by a foreign dignitary to Sri Lanka in the new year.

    He will hold discussions with his counterpart and Sri Lanka’s leadership on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi said.

    “EAM @DrSJaishankar arrived in Colombo on his first foreign visit of the year.

    He is scheduled to meet @GotabayaR, @PresRajapaksa, @DCRGunawardena and several other dignitaries and business leaders during the course of his stay,” India’s High Commission here said in a tweet.

    The visit signifies the priority both countries attach to strengthening their close and cordial relations in all spheres of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi ahead of the trip.

    EAM @jaishankar lands in SL. He is on a three day visit to the island nation pic.twitter.com/d28xKiiZBG
    — Pushkar Banakar (@PushkarBanakar) January 5, 2021

    Jaishankar is visiting Colombo over three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa held a virtual summit during which the two sides agreed to further expand ties in a range of areas such as anti-terror cooperation, maritime security and trade and investment.

    In the talks, India’s development partnership in Sri Lanka was discussed and both sides reached an understanding to extend a pact on High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) for a five-year period beginning 2020.

  • S Jaishankar’s three-day Sri Lanka visit from today, likely to meet President, PM

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will begin his three-day Sri Lanka visit from Tuesday where he will interact with the island nation’s top leadership and review bilateral ties between the two countries.“At the invitation of the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Hon’ble Dinesh Gunawardena, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will pay an official visit to Sri Lanka from 5-7 January 2021. He will hold discussions with his counterpart and Sri Lanka’s leadership on the entire gamut of bilateral relations. This will be the first foreign visit by EAM in 2021, and also, the first by a foreign dignitary to Sri Lanka in the New Year,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, adding that “it signifies the priority both countries attach to strengthening their close and cordial relations in all spheres of mutual interest”.

    Jaishankar’s previous visit to Sri Lanka had come November last year immediately after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed office. The visit was seen as an attempt to reset the bilateral ties. President Rajapaksa had also visited India in his first foreign trip after assuming charge.

    During this trip, Jaishankar is likely to meet the Sri Lankan president, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena.Sources said the foreign minister may also discuss the fishermen’s issue. The visit is also close on the heels of the December 30 virtual meeting of the joint working group on fisheries where talks were held on the arrest of 36 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu and seizure of their vessels allegedly on charges of poaching.