The United States has welcomed India’s LAC agreement with China that ended the military standoff in eastern Ladakh, with American ambassador Eric Garcetti saying the US has always supported India’s efforts to maintain its strategic interests and respect for its borders.
The agreement had been endorsed by PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in their first official meeting in 5 years in Russia on Wednesday, with Modi saying stable relations between the 2 countries will have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity.
Amid speculation over how the US might react to the development, which could potentially at least lead to an India-China détente, Garcetti also told TOI, “India and the US want a calm world, without conflicts and threats and it’s a good day in the Indo-Pacific when any resolution of conflict is reached as in this breakthrough”.
Indian officials have said in the past that Washington helped India with quick intelligence sharing, using US equipment, during the standoff. Garcetti mentioned the border agreement, which was announced by India on Monday, while talking about the possible role that India can play in bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to an end, especially after Modi’s back-to-back visits to Moscow and Kyiv in July and August. The ambassador was making the point that territorial integrity as a principle of international law is sacrosanct and applicable to all corners of the world.
“We welcome the peacemakers, including PM Modi and minister Jaishankar. We welcome the focus on a war that isn’t only European but is global. You don’t have to be in eastern Europe to feel the impact of this war. Any human being should feel the impact of hundreds of thousands of lives lost in an unnecessary, unwarranted war of aggression that violated the most fundamental principles of international relations with respect to border,’’ said the ambassador.
“As we celebrate the breakthrough at the LAC where India held a line on this principle, and we supported them, we believe that’s the principle not just for one part of the world but all parts of the world,’’ added Garcetti.
While he welcomed India’s role as possible peacemaker in Ukraine, he also said playing that role isn’t easy as one has to spend political capitaland corner friends and enemies alike. “But if India can open more doors, help us all impress upon Russia the importance of peace and of non-aggression, then I think that’s a welcome engagement. As I always say, India sometimes opens doors we can’t, and we open doors when India can’t. That’s what makes this relationship so magical. At its very best, we are able to do things we can’t do on our own. Not just for each other, but for the world,’’ said Garcetti.
Talking about India’s strategic autonomy in July this year, Garcetti had famously said that there’s no such thing in times of conflict. He continues to maintain though that his remarks were not linked to Modi’s visit to Russia, which had sparked a wave of outrage in the US and Europe for its timing.
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