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India defends Iran policy, cites high stakes in W Asia
Citing its high stakes in the West Asia region as a whole, India has broadly defended its Iran policy at a time when the United States and its European allies are going all out for an economic squeeze on Tehran with stringent sanctions over the nuclear issue.
Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, currently on his first US visit since taking over as the top diplomat, squarely addressed the Iran issue while delivering a talk on deepening the India-US strategic partnership at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies here.
At the same time, he sought to drive home the message that differences notwithstanding on approach to an issue here or there, the India-US partnership is well on track, disagreeing with those questioning the state and direction of the relationship.
While India remains opposed to any Iranian push towards nuclear weapons, it would like to see the issue resolved peacefully through negotiations, Mathai said, noting: “We also hope that negotiations between P5+1 and Iran would resume soon and contribute to a positive outcome.”
In hints that India would not like to embrace the idea of boycotting Iranian oil, Mathai said: “Iran is our near neighbour, our only surface access to Central Asia and Afghanistan, and constitutes a declining but still a significant share of our oil imports.”
Suggesting that the US is aware of the Indian compulsions, Mathai noted: “These are important, even if difficult, issues and one of the heartening aspects of India-US relationship has been that we are able to discuss them respectfully and candidly, with a sense of appreciation of each other’s perspectives, and a recognition, I believe, that while the choices that each makes may have a bearing on the other, they are not directed against each other.”
During the talk, Mathai was emphatic that the India-US partnership was set to proceed from strength to strength.
Against the backdrop of US disappointment over India’s nuclear liability law, Mathai said India would provide a level playing field to the US companies.
Citing its high stakes in the West Asia region as a whole, India has broadly defended its Iran policy at a time when the United States and its European allies are going all out for an economic squeeze on Tehran with stringent sanctions over the nuclear issue.
Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, currently on his first US visit since taking over as the top diplomat, squarely addressed the Iran issue while delivering a talk on deepening the India-US strategic partnership at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies here.
At the same time, he sought to drive home the message that differences notwithstanding on approach to an issue here or there, the India-US partnership is well on track, disagreeing with those questioning the state and direction of the relationship.
While India remains opposed to any Iranian push towards nuclear weapons, it would like to see the issue resolved peacefully through negotiations, Mathai said, noting: “We also hope that negotiations between P5+1 and Iran would resume soon and contribute to a positive outcome.”
In hints that India would not like to embrace the idea of boycotting Iranian oil, Mathai said: “Iran is our near neighbour, our only surface access to Central Asia and Afghanistan, and constitutes a declining but still a significant share of our oil imports.”
Suggesting that the US is aware of the Indian compulsions, Mathai noted: “These are important, even if difficult, issues and one of the heartening aspects of India-US relationship has been that we are able to discuss them respectfully and candidly, with a sense of appreciation of each other’s perspectives, and a recognition, I believe, that while the choices that each makes may have a bearing on the other, they are not directed against each other.”
During the talk, Mathai was emphatic that the India-US partnership was set to proceed from strength to strength.
Against the backdrop of US disappointment over India’s nuclear liability law, Mathai said India would provide a level playing field to the US companies.
