Blinken announces a $25-million grant for India’s vaccine programme, and promised to strengthen vaccine supply chains to enhance production, reports Asian Lite News
Two of the world’s biggest democracies should do more to strengthen democratic institutions, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during his India visit.
“Shared values – freedom and equality – are key and none of us have done enough. We need to strengthen our democratic institutions. This is at the core of our relationship, beyond strategic and economic ties,” Blinken said.
“One of the elements Americans admire most is fundamental freedom and human rights. That’s how we define India. India’s democracy is powered by free-thinking citizens,” Blinken said.
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Blinken told civil society groups – his first appointment before meeting Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi – that the US and India are “connected by shared values” such as rule of law and freedom of religion.
“Both of our democracies are works in progress… As I said before, sometimes that process is painful. Sometimes it’s ugly. But the strength of democracy is to embrace it,” Blinken said.
The Modi government has faced criticism over growing use of anti-terrorism legislation and sedition laws to arrest campaigners, journalists and students. The Supreme Court on July 15 described the British-era sedition law as “colonial”, and questioned whether the law was “still necessary after 75 years of Independence”.
In the talks with Blinken, Indian officials are expected to express alarm over Taliban gains in Afghanistan. India is worried that a possible takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, which it sees as backed by Pakistan, will turn the country into a base for terrorists to attack India.
The Taliban welcomed virulently anti-Indian terrorists when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. A hijacked Indian airliner was flown to the Taliban bastion of Kandahar in 1999.
On Afghanistan, Blinken and Jaishankar agreed that there was no “military solution” to the conflict, and that taking over the country by force would not help the Taliban gain the “international recognition” or “legitimacy” it desires, including the lifting of sanctions and travel bans against the Taliban leadership. In a reference to Pakistan, Jaishankar said one neighbour of Afghanistan was an “exception” to the consensus for a peaceful political settlement.
Ahead of the talks, MEA sources had said India would raise the need for “sustained pressure” on Pakistan on terror financing and safe havens. An Afghanistan that did not respect the rights of its people, and an Afghanistan that committed atrocities against its own people would not be part of the global community, Blinken said.
India, a firm backer of the Afghan government with billions of dollars in development aid, recently evacuated some of its staff from its Kandahar consulate due to the worsening security situation.
The two sides also spoke about the Quad’s initiative to provide Indian-made vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region. Blinken announced a $25-million grant for India’s vaccine programme, and promised to strengthen vaccine supply chains to enhance production.
Modi lauds Indo-US partnership
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the India-US Strategic Partnership will be of even greater global significance in the coming years, in the context of the challenges posed by Covid-19, global economic recovery and climate change.
Modi made these remarks in a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken conveyed greetings of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister conveyed his warm greetings to President Biden and Vice President Harris and his appreciation for the initiatives taken by President Biden including those related to the Quad, Covid-19 and climate change.
Blinken appreciated the increasing convergence between India and US on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues, and the commitment of both strategic partners to convert this convergence into concrete and practical cooperation.
Prime Minister Modi said that the societies of US and India share a deep commitment to the values of democracy, freedom and liberty, and the Indian diaspora in the US has contributed immensely to the enhancement of bilateral ties.
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