A day later External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar mentioned the US determination to supply a $450 million sustenance package deal for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet was “do not idiot anybodyUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned that this isn’t a brand new program.
Addressing a joint press convention with Jaishankar on Tuesday, Blinken mentioned it was a program for F-16s that Pakistan already had, and Washington’s dedication to supply army gear to make sure The “obligation” was that the plane be maintained and maintained to strengthen Islamabad’s functionality. With “clear terrorist threats” from Al Qaeda and ISIS.
“It’s not in anyone’s interest to be able to proceed with those threats without punishment,” he mentioned.
“There are obvious terrorism threats that keep emanating from Pakistan as well as neighboring countries and whether it is the TTP that is targeting Pakistan, whether it is ISIS or Al-Qaeda, I think the threats are clear, are famous and we are all interested in making sure we have the means to deal with them. And that’s what it’s about,” he mentioned.
Blinken mentioned the US at all times encourages its mates to resolve their variations by means of diplomacy and dialogue.
On Ukraine, Jaishankar revealed that India had weighed in with Russia on grain shipments from ports within the Black Sea.
Responding to questions, Jaishankar mentioned, “We have consistently taken the position publicly, confidentially, since February 24 that this conflict is not in anyone’s interest.”
“I keep in very active contact with many of my colleagues. As an example, during grain shipment discussions in the Black Sea. At the time, we were approached to weigh in with Russia at a particularly delicate moment. That was what we did,” he mentioned.
“Right now, there are some issues… I had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Ukraine. He mentioned some very specific concerns that were brought to my attention and he thought we could work something out,” he mentioned.
“I had discussions with the UN Secretary-General on various issues. He has been very active on a number of specific concerns related to the conflict. So it is not necessarily a comprehensive peace… but even in the current scenario, there are other issues that we can resolve. So there was some discussion with the UN Secretary General as well. I don’t think I can be too specific,” he mentioned.
India, which has a USD 2000 per capita economic system, is apprehensive concerning the rise in oil value as a result of Russia-Ukraine battle and it’s “breaking our backs,” Jaishankar mentioned.
He additionally met US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the Pentagon.
The two leaders “mentioned new alternatives for bilateral protection industrial cooperation in help of India’s contribution as a regional safety supplier, together with the launch of a brand new protection dialogue later this 12 months because the United States and India have interaction in area, cyber, , work collectively artificially in intelligence, and different know-how areas,” the Pentagon mentioned.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
