S Jaishankar Stresses India-US Relations Amid Geopolitical Tensions, Avoids US Election Commentary

S Jaishankar Stresses India-US Relations Amid Geopolitical Tensions, Avoids US Election Commentary

As the election pitch gets shriller with political debates and aggressive rhetoric in the US, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has made a clear decision to keep off the debating table. To a question on his view of the US elections and India’s preparedness towards the same, Jaishankar responded diplomatically, “You know, we generally do not comment on other people’s elections because we also hope others do not comment on us.

This comes on the back of a series of sharp exchanges between India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the US State Department, which is currently preparing for its own General Election in 2024. When Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested and Congress accused tax officials of freezing their bank accounts, earlier this year, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller had opined, “We continue to follow these actions closely…We encourage fair, transparent, and timely legal processes for each of these issues.

The MEA immediately responded to the comment, saying, “The states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others in diplomacy. This responsibility is even more in the case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents.

The statement from the US followed similar comments from Germany’s foreign ministry on the same issue that had promptly earned a rebuke from the MEA, with the German envoy in Delhi, being summoned to convey India’s displeasure over the remark.

Beside this, India slammed the US Commission on International Religious Freedom as it had asked for categorizing India as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ against the backdrop of a recurring recommendation in an annual report, considering this as interference in India’s election process.

During an event on Tuesday, Jaishankar underscored the long-standing and trusted relationship between India and the US marked by unique strength, which has been contributed by its diaspora. He also expressed confidence in working with the next US President, whether it is the Republican candidate and former US President Donald Trump or Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris, saying, “We have every confidence that we will be able to work with the President of the United States, whoever he or she will be.”

“Jaishankar said the India-US relationship was important to the complex geopolitical situation today, and it was an ‘exceptionally difficult’ period: Besides the situation in the Middle East, he pointed to trouble spots in Ukraine, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, and he asserted that COVID-19 is far from over. Looking ahead, he was cautious: the next five years may be especially challenging.”.

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“Even today you are witnessing — you see more and more countries struggling. Trade is getting difficult, facing foreign exchange shortages… what was happening in the Red Sea, climate events, which are no longer just news, they have globally disruptive consequences,” he said.

The External Affairs Minister also reflected on how public perception regarding India-US relations changed far, far before the official sentiment in both countries did. “Common sense is key to understanding the India-US relationship,” he said. He said rebalancing of relationships was required in times of technological leaps and economic challenges seen around the world to get the best possible outcomes.