E-Paper
‘Sense of national security widened as a consequence of Covid-19’: S Jaishankar
In a conversation with former United States National Security Advisor (NSA) General HR McMaster, Jaishankar said the second wave of the viral disease proved to be devastating in India due to which cases and deaths were much greater than before.
External affairs minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar said on Wednesday that global cooperation is the only way out for countries fighting the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Jaishankar is on a five-day visit to the United States, to meet senior officials and talk about Covid-related cooperation between the two countries, which are severely affected by the pandemic.
In a conversation with former United States National Security Advisor (NSA) General HR McMaster, Jaishankar said the second wave of the viral disease proved to be devastating in India due to which cases and deaths were much greater than before.
Also Read| Quad members step up Covid-19 support for countries in neighbourhood
“At the end of the day, when you have a global challenge of this scale, the only way out is global cooperation and global mitigation. We (India) have been dealing with the challenges of hospitalisations, oxygen and the US is well aware of these issues,” Jaishankar further said.
Pointing out that India received international support and solidarity during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, the external affairs minister said it is crucial for countries to help each other out.
“Our sense of national security has widened as a consequence of the pandemic. Whether it is medicines, vaccines and last year it was masks and PPEs,” Dr Jaishankar told General HR McMaster.
On being asked what vision does India have about a free and open Indo-Pacific, the EAM said the seamlessness of the region is evident be it politics, economics or trade and the Indo-Pacific is central to the prospects and welfare of the world. Those countries who believe the region should be kept open and the decisions should be taken on the basis of rules or international order, should conduct them in a way in which collective interests are best served.
Also Read| Quad and an opportunity to define India’s economic statecraft
During the interaction, General HR McMaster also asked Jaishankar about how India viewed the threat from China’s policies.
To this, Jaishankar said there are several ways of looking at the threat from China. “One is the kind of an inter-state analysis. There are consequences in international relations if there is a sharp increase of power of one particular state. Another way is that different countries have different challenges. In international relations, it is very common for countries to cooperate wherever their interests converge.”
