Preferring to look at the larger picture of Indo-US ties and ignore President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on Kashmir, India said on Thursday that it has made its position known on the issue and the US State Department too had issued a clarification, and now it is “time to move on.”
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar saidthat the India-US relationship was an extremely important one.
“It is an extremely important relationship. Ourposition on the matter has been explained by the External Affairs Minister inboth houses of the Parliament, and by the MEA too. The State Department hasmade a clarification that their position on this matter remains the same, andthere is no change,” he said to questions on Trump’s statement that hadcreated a flutter.
On Monday, the US President claimed, during a pressconference with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, that Prime MinisterNarendra Modi had asked him to mediate on the Kashmir issue. The MEAimmediately issued a statement rejecting Trump’s claim, saying Modi had made nosuch request and that “it has been India’s consistent position that alloutstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally.”
US Acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells had also clarifiedthat the US administration welcomes India and Pakistan sitting down to resolvethe “bilateral” issue and the “US stands ready to assist”.
With Modi and Trump set to meet in France during the G7summit, the spokesperson said that both sides prefer to look at the largerpicture of the relationship.
“We are very strong strategic partners, and we havebrought in deep convergences across a range of issues. We have excellent tradeand investment linkages, in the area of defence cooperation; in high defencetechnology tie-ups. So there are plenty of things on the table,” he said.
Asked to react to Trump’s statement of “bombs going offin Kashmir” and not saying anything to Imran Khan about Pakistan sponsoringmilitancy, the spokesperson said that “India’s relationship with the USremains multi-faceted and it stands on its own merit”.
“The press statement issued by the State Departmentfollowing the US Secretary of State’s meeting with Imran Khan, in each andevery statement there is reference to counter terrorism,” he added.
“Several times the issue of terrorism and counterterrorism came up. We really hope that Pakistan fulfils all the promises it hasmade in the meetings, and the Pakistani leadership has made in the mediainterviews on eliminating the infrastructure of terrorism in the areas undertheir control, in an irreversible and credible manner. We hope they stand up towhat they have said,” he said.
Asked about Trump’s Chief Economic Advisor Larry Kudlowstating that the President “does not make things up”, Kumar said hedoes not want to comment “on each and every position that is coming out onthis matter”.