NEW DELHI: India’s problems with China predate the challenges the world is facing due to the Ukraine conflict, said India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar while speaking at the Globsec 2022 Forum meeting in Bratislava on Friday.
“India has a difficult relationship with China, but is perfectly capable of managing it,’’ said Dr Jaishankar during the discussion. Jaishankar said the West needs to understand how India fits in. “Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.”
The minister was asked why India has increased its oil imports from Russia, which is “indirectly helping Russia to fund its war in Ukraine”. Jaishankar reiterated India’s position that the country bought only a small share of oil from Moscow. However, he hastened to add that the same logic was applicable to all European countries who were buying oil and gas from Russia. That meant those countries too were helping Russia to fund the conflict, he said.
“Europe is buying oil and gas from Russia. The package of sanctions is designed in a way that it is considerate for a segment of population. If you are considerate for your own people, be considerate for others as well. As far as India is concerned, we buy the best oil from the market and there is no political messaging involved in that,’’ the EAM said.
Jaishankar also suggested that the West consider allowing oil imports from Venezuela and Iran. The West has also been critical of India restricting its wheat exports. Jaishankar said India has been exporting nearly 2-3 million tonnes of wheat annually.
“We decide to restrict our exports of wheat after it was brought to our notice that there were buyers from Singapore and Dubai who were purchasing wheat at low costs from India and selling them for profits. As a result, the price of wheat went up in India and the low-income buyers were squeezed up. This wasn’t acceptable. So we decided to export to deserving countries.” The EAM is on a four-day visit to Slovakia and the Czech Republic.