External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed India’s diplomatic stance during the launch of ambassador Rajiv Sikri’s book, ‘Strategic Conundrums: Reshaping India’s Foreign Policy’. Jaishankar made it clear that the era of continuous dialogue with Pakistan has ended.
He stated, “I think the era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over. Actions have consequences. And insofar as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, I think Article 370 is done. So the, the issue today is what kind of relationship can we possibly contemplate with Pakistan? Rajiv [Sikri] suggests [in his book] that perhaps India is content to continue at the current level of relationship. Maybe yes, maybe no… We are not passive. And whether events take a positive or a negative direction, either way, we will react to it,” as reported by ANI.
Jaishankar also discussed India’s relations with Afghanistan, highlighting the importance of understanding the geopolitical shifts. He said, “We must appreciate that the Afghanistan with the presence of America for us is very different from the Afghanistan without the presence of America.”
Regarding Bangladesh, Jaishankar noted that India would engage with “the government of the day” and seek mutual interests despite political changes. “Since Bangladesh’s independence, our relationship has gone up and down, and it is natural that we will deal with the government of the day. But we also have to recognise that there are political changes, and they can be disruptive. And clearly here we have to look for mutuality of interest,” he explained.
On Myanmar, Jaishankar emphasized the importance of the Northeast context, stating, “Going further east, there is Myanmar, which is both relevant and remote at the same time. And here again, I think the northeast, the context of the Northeast or Northeast is the overriding one. And we… have to find a balance between the government and other stakeholders, because that is the reality.”
