UNGA 2023: 'Democracy is in danger due to foreign interference' said Canada after jaishankar's rebuke in UN

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in New York on Tuesday, days after India successfully hosted the G20 summit in New Delhi. Here he addressed the 78th United Nations General Assembly session.

In his address, Jaishankar talked about the Global South, G20, and Vishwa Mitra era. At the same time, Jaishankar did not remain silent regarding the India-Canada dispute, and on behalf of India, he gave a clear message that the days are over when some countries used to set the agenda and expect all other countries to follow it.

jaishankar's sarcasm on Canada

Taking a dig at Canada, Jaishankar conveyed the message that no decision can be taken when it comes to respecting territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs. He further said that we should not accept that political convenience determines the response to terrorism, extremism, and violence. Referring to internal matters, Jaishankar made it clear that such non-intervention cannot be termed as a cherry-picking exercise.

Canada responded

Now a response has come from Canada on this. Robert Rae, Canada's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, emphasized the importance of equality in maintaining the values of free and democratic societies.

Democracy in danger due to foreign interference

Addressing the 78th United Nations General Assembly session, he said, 'While we place great emphasis on the importance of equality, we also have to maintain the values of free and democratic societies. We cannot bend the rules of relations from one state to another for political gain, because we have seen and continue to see the extent to which democracy is threatened by various means of foreign interference. The truth is, if we don't follow the rules we've agreed to, the very fabric of our open and free society begins to tear apart.'

Canada-India dispute

The Canada-India dispute gained momentum when on September 18, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged India's involvement in the murder case of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Since then relations between India and Canada have become tense.

It is noteworthy that Nijjar was murdered on June 18 outside a Gurudwara in Surrey, Canada. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday that no information has been shared by Canada regarding the murder of Najjar.

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