New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on January 19, Monday criticised what he described as the selective targeting of India over its position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “In the recent past, both in New York last September and in Paris this January, I have candidly shared our views on the Ukraine conflict and its implications. While doing so, I have also repeatedly underlined that the selective targeting of India is both unfair and unjustified. I do so again today”, EAM Jaishankar said.
The External Affairs Minister was delivering opening remarks during delegation-level talks with visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski, in New Delhi. The meeting between the two ministers comes at a time when the world is witnessing significant “global churn” and Jaishankar underlined the need for closer engagement between India and Poland. Responding to Jaishankar’s remarks on tariffs, his Polish counterpart Sikoski said the tariffs imposed by the United States are leading to global trade turbulence. He also noted India’s seriousness in expanding relations with Europe, which has also been targeted by the US administration of President Donald Trump.
“I also completely agree with you on the unfairness of selective targeting by tariffs. And we in Europe know something about that. Also, we fear that this is progressing to a global trade turbulence. We are hoping that India will continue to stay engaged in Europe. We’ve noticed that you are establishing embassies everywhere in Europe, which means that you are serious about relations with the European Union”, Sikoski said. Trump has imposed tariffs on India for buying Russian oil and they currently stand at 50 per cent. Trump has also announced 10 per cent tariffs on several European countries for opposing his bid for Greenland. Poland and Italy are, however, not on the list.
EAM Jaishankar also urged that Poland should display zero tolerance for terrorism and not help fuel terrorist infrastructure in India’s neighbourhood. “Deputy Prime Minister, you are no stranger to our region and are more than familiar with the long-standing challenges of cross-border terrorism. Poland should display zero tolerance for terrorism and not help fuel the terrorist infrastructure in our neighbourhood”, EAM Jaishankar said. Agreeing with EAM Jaishankar on terrorism, Sikorski said, “I completely agree with you on the need to counter transnational, transborder terrorism. Poland, as you may have heard, has been a victim of arsons and attempted state terrorism when a Polish railway line was blown up under a moving train just very recently”, he said.
(With Inputs from ANI)
