State Department said US is eager to continue to deepen cooperation with partners in India, and “we are just going to let the election play out.”…reports Asian Lite News
US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Thursday that the US is eager to continue deepening and strengthening its cooperation with partners in India.
Asked about Lok Sabha elections in India and whether the US has sent any observers, Patel responded, “I am not aware of the United States sending any observers. We generally don’t in the case of advanced democracies like India.”
“We, of course, are eager to continue to deepen and strengthen our cooperation with our partners in India, and we are just going to let the election play out. I don’t have any assessment or comment to offer on that,” he aat a press briefing.
With the world’s largest democratic exercise underway in India, voters began exercising their franchise on Friday to elect 543 members of Parliament in a seven-phased election that is unparalleled in terms of its scale and logistics and covers every voter of the vast and diverse country.
On the tensions in Eastern Europe and Middle East, Vedant Patel said that US would welcome any country interested in using its voice to further deter the Russian offensive in Ukraine and play a positive role in helping release hostages and defeating Hamas amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Asked how the US and the international community can use Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s influence to end the ongoing war worldwide, Patel said, “Specifically, first in the context of Russia-Ukraine, if any country is interested in using its voice to further deter Russian aggression on the people of Ukraine, we certainly would welcome that. And in the current ongoing context in Gaza, any country that believes that they can play a positive role in helping us get to a release of hostages, helping us get additional humanitarian assistance into Gaza, and helping to defeat Gaza, they certainly should and are welcome to play that role.”
India has often articulated and clarified its stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue. Amid the military conflict, PM Modi has spoken multiple times to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “willing to do his utmost” to address the Russia-Ukraine issue through “peaceful means.” Putin said this at a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Russia.
Putin emphasised the positive stance of Prime Minister Modi on complex global developments, including the situation in Ukraine.
“We know the stance of Prime Minister Modi and we mentioned that repeatedly on many occasions. Well, his attitude towards some complex developments, including the flashpoints like…in Ukraine,” he noted.
Earlier in March, American media giant CNN published a report claiming that PM Modi averted a possible nuclear escalation between Russia and Ukraine amid the ongoing military conflict. The report stated that outreach from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other countries as well played an important role in dialling down the crisis. (ANI)
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