India's EAM Responds to US Leaders, Asserts Right to Address Their Remarks on Democracy

Washington DC, October 3: 
At a recent talk on India-US ties at the Carnegie Endowment office in Washington, DC, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasized the need of self-respect and limits in international diplomacy, especially between democracies.

During his fireside discussion with Carnegie's President Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuellar on Tuesday, when asked about US officials commenting on India's democracy, Jaishankar remarked, "And my own perspective, which I have conveyed with many counterparts, is, look, you have every right to comment. However, I am well within my rights to respond to your comment. Do not be embarrassed when I do this.

Further, Jaishankar acknowledged the globalised nature of politics, where countries' internal issues can have international implications. "The world is very globalised," he remarked. Now, the US, naturally, takes extra precautions to make sure it doesn't, but the point remains that national boundaries aren't always the best places for politics to remain contained. You've done that as part of your foreign policy for a long time.

The US-India relationship is a hot topic, and Jaishankar has weighed in on the subject. Summing up the issue, he said, "Foreign interference is foreign interference," highlighting how serious it is.

"But if you look at a state-to-state, government-to-government level, we think it's important that democracies are mutually respectful. It cannot be that one democracy has a right to comment on another, and that's part about promoting democracy globally," he said.

"But when others do that, then it becomes foreign interference. His second point was that it makes no difference who or where conducts foreign intervention; what matters is that it is foreign meddling.

During his hour-long interaction at Carnegie, Jaishankar also addressed major global problems, including the war in Ukraine, the likelihood of a "Asian NATO," and the future of Taiwan. The Indian government's stance toward the Indian diaspora and its neighbourhood policy were among the topics he addressed.

EAM paid a visit to the Carnegie Endowment office in Washington to take part in a fireside chat with Carnegie's President Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuellar. Last week, Jaishankar was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and a series of high-level meetings, and now he is visiting Washington.

The Washington, DC-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is well-known as a world-class think tank. Promoting world harmony, safety, and good governance is the group's primary mission.