'At the end of the day neighbours need each other': S Jaishankar on 'India Out' campaign in Maldives

Amid Maldives’ ‘India Out’ campaign, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that history and geography are very powerful forces and there is no escape from that, adding, that “at the end of the day neighbours need each other”. Jaishankar made these remarks during an an interaction at the Indian Institute of Management in Mumbai. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, who is regarded as a pro-China leader, formally requested India to withdraw its 88 military personnel from Maldives by 15 March as part of the country’s ‘India Out’ campaign. The Muizzu government is also reviewing more than 100 bilateral agreements signed with India by the previous government. On attacks on merchant navy vessels in the Red Sea and deployment of the Indian Navy’s ships in the region, Jaishankar said India’s greater capability, its own interest and reputation today warrant that it actually help in difficult situations. “The Indian Navy has deployed 10 of its ships in the region. We will not be considered a responsible country if bad things are happening around our neighbourhood and we say I have got nothing to do with this,” Jaishankar said. Notably, Indian warship INS Sumitra rescued 19 Pakistani crew of a fishing vessel after their Iranian-flagged fishing vessel was attacked by pirates in the east coast of Somalia, officials said on Tuesday. INS Sumitra has been deployed for anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the east of Somalia and Gulf of Aden. The ship had thwarted a piracy attempt on Iranian fishing vessel Iman on Monday. Talking about China, he said that it’s a big economy which deploys its resources to try and shape things in its favour and we shouldn’t expect otherwise.  

“I don’t think we should be scared of China. I think we should say, ok, global politics is a competitive game, you do your best, I will do my best. China is a major economy, it will deploy resources, it will try and shape things in China’s way. Why should we expect otherwise? But the answer to that is not to complain that China is doing it. Answer is ‘ok, you are doing it, let me do better than you,” said Jaishankar. Responding to a question on how it is like to work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that it’s a combination of exciting and exacting.

“At one level, it is very exciting. It is very exciting because you are working with a PM with a very big ambition, big thoughts for the country, very bold, open to new ideas and the confidence to take that forward. On the other hand, I would say, also very demanding because he sets a pace. Therefore, it’s a kind of combination of exciting and exacting. Demanding…sometimes daunting, but it’s been great,” added the Foreign Minister. With inputs from agencies