External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that India was not taken into confidence on various aspects of the Doha accord between the US and the Taliban last year and the latest developments in Afghanistan will have “very, very important consequences” for the region and beyond. . . .
He also said that the major concerns for India at the moment include whether Afghanistan will have an inclusive government and that the soil of Afghanistan is not used for terrorism against other states and the rest of the world.
Speaking virtually at the annual leadership summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) on Thursday, Jaishankar also suggested that India was in no hurry to deliberate on giving any recognition to the new arrangement in Kabul.
In an interaction session with former US ambassador Frank Wisner, the foreign minister also said that the quadrilateral or quadrilateral alliance of India, the US, Australia and Japan is not against any country and viewed it as some kind of “gang”. goes. should not be seen. “And a negatively driven initiative.
India and the US are on the same page on a number of issues related to recent developments in Afghanistan, including apprehensions about possible use of Afghan land for terrorism.
“I think, to some extent, we will all be justified on the level of concern and to some extent, I think the jury is still out. When it comes to the level of concern, you know, by the Taliban. Doha. Commitments were made, I mean, America knows best. I mean, we weren’t taken into confidence on various aspects of that,” he said.
“So whatever, whatever deal happened in Doha, I mean, there’s a broad understanding. But beyond that, you know, are we going to see an inclusive government? Are we going to see the rights of women, children, minorities? Going to see? Going to see the honor?” He asked.
“The most important thing is that we are going to see an Afghanistan whose soil is not used for terrorism against other states and the rest of the world, I think these are our concerns,” Jaishankar said.
The Doha Agreement was signed between the US and the Taliban in February last year in which the US promised to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, while the Taliban committed to a number of conditions, including an end to the violence.
Jaishankar said what happened in Afghanistan “is going to have very, very important consequences for all of us, and we are very close to the region.” He noted that the key concerns were captured in a UN Security Council resolution in August and how those questions are addressed today is still an open question, which is why “I said the jury is still is out”.
“If you ask me whether it is time to draw sharp conclusions, I will take my time and study it with a certain degree of deliberation, because, as I said, much of it, whatever the understanding comes in, there are many of them not known to the whole international community,” he said.
To another question on how India and the US view the situation in Afghanistan, Jaishankar said both sides are on the same page, on a number of issues at a theoretical level, especially on the possible use of Afghan soil for terrorism.
He said the issue had cropped up in the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in Washington last week.
“Then look, there will be issues we agree more on, there will be issues we agree less on. Our experiences are different from yours (US) in some respects. You know, we ourselves are dealing with cross-border terrorism from that region. We are dealing. There have been victims,” Jaishankar said.
“And let’s say it has shaped our view of some of Afghanistan’s neighbors in a number of ways. So now, how much does the US share that view, and where is it that the US makes its strategic agreements, I guess. . This is for the Americans to find out,” he said.
Asked if it included a joint gesture to Pakistan, he only said: “There are aspects that we share, and there are aspects where our position may not be exactly the same.” Asked about the quad and ways of managing the rise of Chinese power, Jaishankar said the four-nation partnership is not against anyone.
“I think it’s very important not to railroad into some kind of negative discourse that isn’t really from our script, it’s someone else’s script. And I don’t think we should fall for that. I think We need to stay positive,” he said.
On how to deal with the rise of China, Jaishankar said: “I would say, in many ways, those are the bilateral choices that we all have to make, we both have very important relations with China.” “And, in many ways, China is such a big player today and so prominent in the international economy, I think it’s only natural that these relationships are quite unique. So what are my problems, or my opportunities America, or Australia, Or Japan, or Indonesia, or France will not be the same,” he said.
Jaishankar said it would be different for each country and added that the rise of China had a very fundamental impact on the international system.
“Therefore, as participants in the international order, we need to assess and respond to this in the light of our interest. That’s why I think it’s very important to normalize this conversation.”
“It shouldn’t end because it’s some sort of gang and a negatively driven phenomenon, I don’t think it’s a completely natural development of the international order in my mind,” he said.
Talking about geopolitical issues, Jaishankar said he has seen a big change in the US approach as it has shown great willingness to work with other partners, “not necessarily on terms that the US has unilaterally agreed to.” Have given.” be determined”.
“I think America is also moving on from that era of alliances and treaty-based relations. It’s far more resilient, I would say, there’s a more different world out there and I think American policymakers have been able to adjust to that.” And some of them you will see in a quad-like arrangement,” he said.
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