“I accept that there was a time when India spoke more and did less. Today we are actually doing more than we speak,” these words are spoken by S Jaishankar.
India’s way is not to be disruptive and it is more of a decider than an abstainer, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Wednesday at a Delhi event.
In remarks that come at a time that several countries have called for a greater Indian role in the Indo-Pacific, Jaishankar also said it is not the India way to be mercantilist.
“India owes it to itself and to the world to be a just power,” he said.
New Delhi is not a disruptor and is firmly dealing with terrorism, Jaishankar said.
S Jaishankar also spoke about tensions between the US and Iran: he said the final outcome would depend on the players involved.
The two nations are individualistic countries, and the ball is in their court, he said.
US-Iran ties were already at a low ebb when the Americans killed a top Iranian commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in a drone strike on January 3.
Iran responded with strikes on US bases in Iraq days later, but there were no American casualties. US President Donald Trump soon said that “for now”, Tehran “appears to be standing down”.
On India’s ties with China, S Jaishankar said it was vital for neighbors to reach an understanding of crucial issues.
“It is important that two countries find equilibrium in ties we have to get along with each other,” he said.
Inputs from agencies.