India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on Tuesday said United States President Donald Trump should be analysed, instead of being “demonised”. “He represents a thought process. It’s not a momentary expression,” he said, while speaking about “Political change and economic uncertainties” at the Gateway Dialogue event in Delhi.
He said that western countries are concerned about terrorism, and though they might not mention Pakistan in this context, they share India’s fears as well, reported PTI. “The issue really here is whether Pakistan is willing to take fundamental steps. They need to shut down the terrorism factory,” he said.
Jaishankar said terrorism was a bigger threat in the present times than it has ever been. “There is international concern [on terrorism] today,” he said.
At the event, the senior diplomat spoke about India’s future role in the international scene, multilateralism, the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation and bilateral relationships with China and Japan.
India will play a bigger role in the international scene in the future
“At a time when the horizons of a lot of major countries are getting narrower...If the major [countries] are pulling back, there is a space out there and it is in our interest to use that space. In my view, we should be looking at a more powerful position in international fora,” he said.
India should not give up on SAARC
“When it comes to regional integration, we will keep looking for other opportunities since the SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] is stuck.”
Multilateral engagement: India’s track record stands out
“Multilateralism is not because we are good guys, but because it serves our interest.”
“Like, when we went into Paris and helped reach that agreement, it was done because we had our own assessment of the threat climate change poses to India. I believe under the circumstances that was the best agreement we could get.”
Bilateral relationships
“A bigger Indian economy is in the strategic interest of Japan.”
“It does not help to duck issues. There is a need to invest more to manage the relationship better [with China].”
“There is still a strong interest [in Brexit], including a free trade agreement with the EU.”
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