External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said that while the western world could easily make remarks or give ‘sweeping prescriptions’ about Myanmar citizens taking shelter in Mizoram, but India for its part is trying to address the root cause of the problem in the neighbouring country.
“Countries far away can give sweeping prescriptions, but living next door has different ramifications,” Dr Jaishankar said while interacting with students of IIT-Guwahati on Saturday.
“We (India) are making greater effort to solve the political problem in Myanmar. Progress and good governance cannot mean being oblivious of the happenings at the border, ” he underlined.
Hundreds of Myanmar citizens are taking shelter in Mizoram following conflicts in that country after February 2021 coup.
The Minister, however, maintained – “We are not an open house for the rest of the world. It is not in our interest to be so”.
He stressed on the importance of diplomacy in a nation’s growth and security saying it was “the first line of defence.”
“If diplomacy is successful, military is not necessary….But in some cases when military action is absolutely necessary, diplomacy plays an equally important role,” said the diplomat-turned-political leader.
The Minister maintained that India had the “right ideas” in foreign policy and strategic thinking, “but India didn’t follow it up”.
But he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led’s dispensation is rightly focused on development push in diplomacy and it is showing good dividends.
Referring to the measures being taken along with countries bordering northeast India in tackling insurgency and crime, Jaishankar said, the region had serious problems of terrorism, narcotics trade and trafficking.
“But when these activities stopped getting support in the neighbouring countries, it made the region more secure,” he pointed out.
Dr Jaishankar was in Guwahati to address the conclave of Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence and it was attended among others by Bangladesh foreign minister A K Abdul Momen and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The Minister said India has been able to maintain its policy of equidistance from key global players or it non-alignment in the polarised scenario because it has clarity about its own interests and
confident of pursuing it.
“Every time the world polarises, it has its own complications and we are at that stage right now. Ukraine (crisis) is one of them,” he said.
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