Paris deal not for greed: Sushma
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has repudiated US President Donald Trump’s statement that India has extracted promises of billions of dollars in return for signing the Paris agreement on climate, saying there was “no greed and no fear” on the part of India when it came to signing the agreement.
“What President Trump spoke is not the reality,” Ms Swaraj said. She said there had been no reduction in engagement with the US under the Trump administration, adding the Indo-US relationship is one of “mutual benefit”.
Ms Swaraj also described the US as a “major defence partner of India”.
Meanwhile, government sources said Mr Trump’s harsh references to India would not affect Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming visit to the US which could take place in the last week of June. The dates for the visit are being worked out, sources said.
Last week, Mr Trump had pulled the US out from the landmark Paris climate accord saying the deal unfairly benefits countries like India and China, and that “India makes its participation contingent on receiving billions and billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid from developed countries”.
“It is not the reality what President Trump spoke. The signing of the Paris agreement (on climate) by India was under no pressure, or greed or fear. It was because of our commitment to the environment,” Ms Swaraj told reporters at a media conference to mark three years of completion of the NDA government’s term in office.
She said it was part of the Indian ethos to revere nature and that rivers, forests and mountains continue to be worshipped and revered in this country.
Ms Swaraj also said Mr Modi had so far spoken thrice to Mr Trump while both she and the NSA have been in touch with their counterparts in the US.
She said there was no reduction so far in the H1B visas issued by the US but admitted that there were concerns that it could be reduced.