India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar is on 5 days visit to Europe. In the first leg of his visit to Slovakia EAM S. Jaishankar met with his counterpart Slovakian Foreign Minister Ivan Korcov, and discussed trade turnover, interest in political dialogue & mutual investments, and cooperation of democracies in the Indo-Pacific region.
EAM Jaishankar also conveyed the greetings from Prime Minister Modi to Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger for their support in Operation Ganga, when the indian citizens were stuck in the many Ukrainian cities during Russian invasion.
Therfore, he also participated in the GLOBSEC 2022 Bratislava Forum. In this forum, Minister S Jaishankar cleared India’s point of view and its interests apparently during the discussion on the topic ‘Taking Friendship to the Next Level: Allies in the Indo-Pacific Region.
EAM Jaishankar on buying Russian oil at discounted prices said that “the new sanctions designed in a way that consideration has been given to the welfare of population[European population], pipelines have carveouts,” S Jaishankar further said that “if you can be considered to yourself, you can be considered to other people[world].” Though it has been a point of criticism in the west in terms of India’s foreign policy .
On the question of that, if the funding Russian oil is funding the war, EAM Jaishankar again hit out at Europe and said that “tell me buying Russian gas is not funding the war?” “it’s not gas coming to Europe that funds[the war].”
In addition to that EAM Jaishankar said in a suggestive manner that “if countries from West, Europe, US are so concerned why don’t they allow Iranian oil to come to the market, why don’t they allow Venezuelan oil to come to the market,” further on western sanctions on Iranian and Venezuelan oil Jaishankar said that “They have squeezed every other source of oil we have[world].”
In the forum discussion, on the question of wheat ban, EAM Jaishankar said that I don’t think people in the west understand, because they are not tracking trade. “We have been exporting wheat then we saw run over our wheat large part by international traders based from Singapore, UAE.” Further he said that “We will not give speculators open access to the Indian market. What we saw happening with vaccines, we don’t want to see for wheat. Which are rich people got vaccinated”
Therefore, EAM Jaishankar on seeing similarities between the Indian China issue and the Russia-Ukraine crisis said [the] idea that I do transaction, I come in one conflict, because it will help in other conflict, that is not how the world works.
In the last EAM Jaishankar said that “Europe has to grow out of the mindset, Europe’s problems are the world’s problems. But the world’s problem is not Europe’s problem.”
In the second, stop EAM Jaishankar visit the Czech Republic and will hold discussions with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavský, as the Czech Republic will be taking over the EU Presidency from 01 July 2022.
