On trade tangle, Pompeo says ‘great friends are bound to have differences’
Against the backdrop of Washington objecting to India’s Rs 50,000 crore deal for procuring S-400 missile systems from Russia, New Delhi on Wednesday made it clear to the US that its ties with Russia are time tested and it will go by its national interest while dealing with other countries.
However, appreciating the growing strategic relationship between India and the US, the two countries agreed to work through contentious issues.
The entire gamut of bilateral relations, including the issue of S-400, terrorism and other matters came up for discussion during talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his visiting US counterpart Michael Pompeo here. Jaishankar conveyed to Pompeo that India will be governed by its national interest on matters like S-400.
In a joint press interaction later, Pompeo said India is an important partner of the US and that the bilateral ties were reaching new heights.
Both the leaders agreed that the even best friends can have differences that need to be worked out. Their talks covered ticklish issues like S-400 deal, purchase of oil from Iran, trade tariffs and the H1B visa. On S -400 deal, Jaishankar said India will be go by its national interest and Pompeo said, “The US is committed to ensuring that India has the military capabilities it needs to defend its territorial integrity.”
While answering to a question on the issue of sanctions under the US’ Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) which may also impact India’s procurement of the S-400 systems from Moscow, Jaishankar said India has relationships with several countries.
“We have many relationships...They have a history. We will do what is in our national interest and part of that strategic partnership is the ability of each country to comprehend and appreciate the national interest of the other,” Jaishankar said.
Noting that India-US strategic partnership was based on deep and broad convergence, Jaishankar said discussions with Pompeo were held on key issues including energy and trade as well as on the situation in Afghanistan and the India-Pacific region.
On terrorism, Jaishankar said he expressed appreciation for strong support of the Trump Administration. Pompeo, who arrived here on Tuesday night, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval in the morning and discussed various aspects of the India-US relationship.
The US Secretary of State admitted that his country has a divergence of view with New Delhi on issues such as trade but downplayed it by saying that “great friends are bound to have differences.” Both the Ministers said they will explore ways to work through these issues, including the United States’ opposition to the $5-billion defence deal for S-400 air defence systems between India and Russia.
“On some outstanding issues related to trade, I pushed for a constructive and pragmatic view. The real test of our intentions will be our ability to deal with this,” said Jaishankar. He also said true “maturity” lies in finding ways and means, something that has not worked out so effectively between the two countries in the recent past.
“We have to tell our Governments to try harder,” he added.
India had imposed retaliatory tariffs on 28 US items earlier this month, after the Trump Administration ended trade concessions for India on June 1. Pompeo defended his Government’s decision, stating that the US deserves greater market access.
Jaishankar, however, made it clear that India would be guided by its own interests when it comes to purchasing defence systems from Russia. “We have relationships with several countries, many of which are of some standing. They have a history. We will do what is in our national interest,” he said. “We had a discussion on defence cooperation. It is important to display trust and confidence in each other if we want this to grow.”
Pompeo also termed Iran as the “biggest sponsor of terror.” However, India’s official stand on it is not yet known but India and US discussed the situation in Iran in some detail. India raised its concerns on energy security and the regional situation. Jaishankar expressed “appreciation for US support” on terrorism-related issues. “We see zero tolerance to cross-border terrorism,” he said.
The US Secretary of State’s visit comes ahead of a meeting between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, later this week. In his meeting with Pompeo, Modi outlined his vision for the Indo-US strategic partnership in the new tenure of his government.
The Prime Minister expressed his strong commitment to achieve the full potential of bilateral relations in trade and economy, energy, defence, counter-terrorism and people- to-people contacts. The two leaders two discussed various aspects of the bilateral relationship to strengthen the India-US strategic partnership.
“The Prime Minister reiterated the priority that he attaches to relations with the US and outlined his vision for the Strategic Partnership in the new tenure of the Government and beyond, building on strong foundation of trust and shared interest,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Pompeo expressed the US Government’s continued interest in building stronger relations with India and working together to realise the shared vision and goals, it said. He also conveyed greetings of Trump to the Prime Minister and congratulated him on his electoral victory.
“Working together to further deepen our strategic partnership. Secretary Pompeo called on PM Narendra Modi to exchange views on various aspects of Indo-US relationship. PM will meet President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 Osaka Summit,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Pompeo’s talk here is the first high-level interaction between the two countries after return of the Modi Government to power last month.
