Foreign Minister Dr. S Jaishankar showed the mirror to US President Donald Trump, who is claiming to bring about an India-Pakistan ceasefire. The Foreign Minister clearly said that we have never accepted anyone's mediation in the matter of Pakistan. India's stand on mediation with Pakistan has always been clear and will remain so.
At a program, Foreign Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said that on the issue of India-Pakistan conflict, we have never accepted anyone's mediation in the last 50 years, from 1970 till now. There has always been a national consensus in India that we do not accept mediation in our relations with Pakistan. When it comes to trade, when it comes to the interests of farmers, when it comes to our strategic autonomy, when it comes to opposing mediation, the government is very clear.
He said that if someone disagrees with us, then let the people of India tell if they are not ready to protect the interests of farmers. Do they not value strategic autonomy? But we do. Whatever we have to do to maintain it, we will do it.
Regarding US President Donald Trump, the Foreign Minister said that we have never seen an American President who has conducted foreign policy publicly like Trump. This change is not limited to India only. President Trump's way of dealing with the world, even with his own country, is a huge change from the traditional conservative way. I want to give some examples like it is normal to impose tariffs like this only for trade, but it is not right to impose tariffs on non-trade issues.
'No compromise on the interests of farmers and small producers'
The Foreign Minister said that India-US trade talks are still going on. But the basic thing is that we have some red lines in front of us. No one has said that the talks are closed. People talk to each other. It is not that there is any truce there. As far as we are concerned, there are some red lines. We are working for the interest of our farmers and, to some extent, our small producers. We cannot compromise on their issues. I ask you a question whether you will compromise on farmers and traders. I want to say that we, as a government, are committed to protecting the interests of our farmers and our small producers. We are very firm on this. We will not do anything that compromises their interests. I ask those who criticize it, will they make such a compromise?
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that it is ridiculous that people who work for the pro-trade US administration are accusing other people of doing trade. If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don't buy it. No one forces you to buy it. Europe buys, America buys, so if you don't like it, don't buy it.
'India-Russia planning summit'
Regarding the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said that we have a tradition of annual summit talks with the Russians. We are planning a summit at the end of the year. This is an annual exercise. This is how relations grow. My talks are on non-military issues. The Defense Minister talks about military issues.
Our meeting focused on what is happening in our relations, where we are going, and what we will do. There have been some good developments. Our trade has increased a bit. We would like to increase it further. There has been some mobility of people. We would like to see it grow. We would like to have more market access to Russia.
'Russia-Ukraine conflict should end as soon as possible'
The Foreign Minister said that President Putin shared his views on what happened there after returning from Alaska. As far as our stand is concerned, we have been clear from the beginning that we would like to see an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict as soon as possible. We also believe that it is the job of the concerned parties to resolve any conflict. In this particular case, because the concerned parties are also comfortable and the Americans have taken the initiative, we have been supporting these efforts. We support any such effort that can bring about this change. We want an end to the conflict as soon as possible, which obviously both parties have to decide. I think this was clear in Alaska. Many issues were discussed there and some things were agreed upon.
'It is not that relations with China have deepened because of America'
Regarding India-China relations, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that everything is not clear. It is not that if something happened with America, then immediately something happened with China. There are different timelines for different problems. I think it is a mistake to try to create a unified response to a specific situation by linking everything together. Today there is definitely a global scenario. I want you to understand that there is a development. There is a flow of that relationship. But do not make this relationship so deep. This is not reality.
'No need to depend on one market'
The Foreign Minister said that recent experience has taught us not to be overly dependent on any one supply chain or source of any one country. Do not depend on any one market. So it is not only from sourcing to production, it is also from production to market. Now, this does not mean that you switch off from anywhere. It means that you diversify, it means that you hedge, and most importantly, which is the constant message of the government, that you do more work at home. We know that doing more work at home is a difficult task. It is complex; it requires a different kind of effort. That is why the emphasis is being laid on self-reliance.
On US-Pakistan relations, the Foreign Minister said that they have a history with each other and they also have a history of ignoring their history. We are not seeing such things happening for the first time. The special thing is that the US Army has given evidence of this many times. This is the same army that went to Abbottabad, Pakistan, and who did they find there? They are doing politics.
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