As India works to establish what it believes to be its due place on the global arena during a time of geopolitical unrest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his first official state visit to the US said that relations between New Delhi and Washington are stronger and deeper than ever.
In an hour-long interview to Wall Street Journal in his office at his sprawling official residence in the heart of New Delhi, PM Modi said, “There is an unprecedented trust between the leaders of the US and India.”
The Prime Minister hailed growing defence cooperation between the two countries as “an important pillar of our partnership,” which he said extends to trade, technology and energy, added the report.
PM Modi spoke on a range of issues including India’s foreign policy, its efforts to build a more modern and sustainable economy.
According to the report, overall, PM Modi’s message was that — from India’s role in global politics to its contributions to the world economy — the country’s time has come.
He sought to portray New Delhi as the natural leader of the global South, in sync with and able to give voice to developing countries’ long-neglected aspirations.
“India deserves a much higher, deeper and wider profile and a role,” PM Modi told the WSJ.
PM Modi calls for changes to UN, int’l organisations
The 72-year-old leader demanded that the United Nations and other international organisations be altered in order to better reflect the priorities of the world’s less developed countries and to adapt them for an increasingly multipolar world order. These priorities ranged from the effects of climate change to debt reduction.
Unlike the vision of nonalignment advanced by Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru
in the early years of the Cold War, Modi’s foreign policy is one of multiple alignments, seeking to advance India’s interests in partnership with a range of global powers, including those in conflict with each other.
With national elections due next year, PM Modi’s approval rating is high.
The report noted that political opponents and human-rights advocates have accused PM Modi’s party of fostering religious polarisation and democratic backsliding, pointing to issues such as restrictions on the press and removal of the special status of Indian-administered Kashmir to more closely integrate the Muslim-majority region into the country.
PM Modi declined to comment on such criticism, added the report.
On the economic front, PM Modi has won praise for eliminating bureaucracy, relaxing rules and opening the way for more foreign direct investment. The country has surpassed China as the world’s most populous. What’s more, its population is young, promising a significant demographic dividend.
The government has invested enormously in education and infrastructure, and it is poised to gain as multinationals look to diversify manufacturing and supply chains in an era of geopolitical tension, the WSJ reported.
Apple is among the companies making significant new investments in southern India, with supplier Foxconn Technology Group planning new facilities in the states of Karnataka and Telangana and expanding iPhone production in the state of Tamil Nadu.
“Let me be clear that we do not see India as supplanting any country. We see this process as India gaining its rightful position in the world,” PM Modi was quoted as saying in the interview.
“The world today is more interconnected and interdependent than ever before. To create resilience, there should be more diversification in supply chains,” he added.
On relationship with China that have grown increasingly fraught in recent years, marked by deepening military and economic rivalries, PM Modi said, “For normal bilateral ties with China, peace and tranquility in the border areas is essential.”
“We have a core belief in respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, observing the rule of law and peaceful resolution of differences and disputes. At the same time, India is fully prepared and committed to protect its sovereignty and dignity,” the Prime Minister added.
US-Indian relations on an upward swing
Economic links have contributed to the recent strengthening of India’s relations with the US. The two nations’ combined trade in 2022 hit a record high of $191 billion, making the US India’s biggest trading partner. The US is one of the top five destinations for investment from India and the third-largest source of foreign direct investment into that country.
At the same time, India has maintained close ties with Russia, which still provides about 50 per cent of the country’s military supplies, including arms, ammunition, tanks, jet fighters and S-400 air defense systems.
Washington has put pressure on India to reduce its dependence on Moscow for arms, and some in the US have criticised Modi’s government for not taking a more forceful stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. India has abstained from UN votes condemning the invasion.
“I don’t think this type of perception is widespread in the US,” said PM Modi, referring to criticism of its stance on Russia.
“I think India’s position is well known and well understood in the entire world. The world has full confidence that India’s topmost priority is peace.”
On Ukraine conflict, “Some people say that we are neutral. But we are not neutral. We are on the side of peace,” said PM Modi. “All countries should respect international law and the sovereignty of countries.”
Disputes should be resolved with “diplomacy and dialogue,” not war, said the Prime Minister.
He said he has spoken several times to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said he most recently spoke to Zelensky on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Japan in May.
“India will do whatever it can” and supports “all genuine efforts to bring an end to the conflict and ensure enduring peace and stability,” he told WSJ.
Modi linked many of the world’s problems, such as terrorism, proxy wars and expansionism, to a failure of global institutions created during the Cold War to adapt, saying that smaller and regional groupings have emerged in the vacuum. He said global institutions such as the UN must change.
Meanwhile, PM Modi left for his first official state visit to the US on Tuesday.
In Washington, PM Modi is anticipated to finalise agreements for India to produce jet-fighter engines to power advanced light combat aircraft and for India to buy high-altitude armed Predator drones from the US in a multi-billion-dollar deal to increase surveillance over the Indian Ocean and close to its disputed border with China in the Himalayas.
With inputs from agencies
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
0 Comments: