'Principles selectively applied': EAM jabs US

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar flagged what the Indian govt sees as US and Europe's double standards in pressuring India to stop buying Russian oil, as he addressed the East Asia Summit in Malaysia, filling in for PM Modi. He said energy trade is increasingly constricted, with resulting market distortions, and "principles are applied selectively and what is preached is not necessarily practised".

Jaishankar, who delivered India's statement at the summit after meeting his US counterpart Marco Rubio, sought an early end to conflicts as he stressed how in current circumstances energy flows and food security were being undermined. He said India's right of defence against terror can never be compromised.


Jaishankar welcomes Gaza peace plan, seeks early end to Ukraine-Russia conflict
Jaishankar said terrorism poses a continuous and corrosive threat and the world must display zero tolerance. There is no room for ambivalence, he said.

The minister made the point about energy trade while talking about growing concerns over reliability of supply chains and access to markets in complicated times. Jaishankar said technology advancement had become very competitive and the quest for natural resources even more so.

Jaishankar emphasised that change has a life of its own and the world will inevitably respond to new circumstances. "Adjustments will be made, calculations will come into play, fresh understandings will be forged, new opportunities will emerge and resilient solutions will be devised. At the end of the day, the realities of technology, of competitiveness, of market size, digitisation, connectivity, of talent and of mobility cannot be ignored," said the minister, adding multipolarity would continue to grow. He called for serious global conversations to address these issues.

EAS is an annual Asean-led forum that includes the bloc's dialogue partners like India, China and the US.

The minister also said both sides shared concerns about cyber scam centres in the region, which has also entrapped Indian nationals.

Jaishankar welcomed the Gaza peace plan and sought an early end to the conflict in Ukraine.

"We are also witnessing conflicts that have significant repercussions, near and far. Deep human suffering apart, they undermine food security, they threaten energy flows and they disrupt trade," said the minister.

Jaishankar underscored India's commitment to furthering maritime cooperation, in line with the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and the shared commitment to the 1982 UNCLOS.

"We wish to propose an EAS Maritime Heritage Festival to be held in the ancient port of Lothal in Gujarat. We also intend to host the 7th EAS Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation," announced Jaishankar.

Talking about Myanmar, Jaishankar highlighted how India was the first responder during the March earthquake and said the India-Mynamar-Thailand Trilateral Highway projects will continue to progress.





Select The Times of India as your preferred source on Google Search