India defends ties with Iran and North Korea in talks with Tillerson
India’s foreign minister defended the country’s ties with North Korea and Iran during talks yesterday with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson aimed at building relations between the two giant democracies.
The Trump administration has launched a new US effort to deepen military and economic ties with India as a way to balance China’s assertive posture across Asia.
At the talks with Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, both sides pledged to strengthen antiterrorism co-operation and Mr Tillerson said Washington stood ready to provide India with advanced military technology.
“The United States supports India’s emergence as a leading power and will continue to contribute to Indian capabilities to provide security throughout the region,” Mr Tillerson said.
The US diplomat, who flew in from Pakistan, which he called an important US ally in the unsettled region, also held talks with prime minister Narendra Modi, who is driving closer ties with Washington.
But India, a former leading light of the Non-Aligned Movement, a group of countries that does not want to be officially aligned with or against any major power bloc, remains wary of any alliances with major powers lest it affect its autonomy.
India has maintained ties with Iran, which is being targeted by the Trump administration for its alleged military support of extremist groups in the Middle East and for its ballistic missile programme.
India has long sourced its oil from Iran, but in recent years the two sides have also collaborated on infrastructure projects. New Delhi is pushing hard for the development of Chabahar port on the Iranian coast as a hub for its trade links to the resource-rich countries of central Asia and Afghanistan, but the Trump administration’s tough stance has raised concerns over its future.
Mr Tillerson struck a conciliatory stance on India’s ties with Iran, saying they would not come in the way of countries doing legitimate business there.
“It is not our objective to harm the Iranian people nor is it our objective to interfere with legitimate business activities that are going on with other businesses, whether they be from Europe, India or agreements that are in place or promote economic development and activity to the benefit of our friends and allies,” he said.
America’s disagreements were with the Iranian regime, and in particular the Revolutionary Guard, he said.
India is especially keen on the Chabahar port as a way to bypass long-time foe Pakistan, which does not allow easy trade and transit arrangements to Afghanistan and beyond.
Mr Tillerson said the US stood shoulder to shoulder with India in the fight against terrorism, which New Delhi has long said is centred in militant groups operating from Pakistan.
He said militant groups were a threat to everyone in the region, including Pakistan itself.
“Quite frankly my view – and I expressed this to the leadership of Pakistan – is we are also concerned about the stability and security of Pakistan’s government,” he said. The US has been urging Islamabad to act against the groups that operate in Afghanistan, India and within Pakistan itself. “Terrorist safe havens will not be tolerated,” Mr Tillerson said.
Pakistan says it is doing all it can to fight the militants.
The talks also touched on India’s diplomatic ties with North Korea, Ms Swaraj said, at a time when the US has stepped up efforts to isolate Pyongyang.
Ms Swaraj said she told the top US diplomat that some level of diplomatic presence was necessary to keep open channels of communication.
“Our embassy there is very small, but there is in fact an embassy,” she said. “I told secretary Tillerson that some of their friendly countries should maintain embassies there so that some channels of communication are kept open.”
India and North Korea maintain diplomatic offices in each other’s capitals, although New Delhi recently banned trade of most goods with the country, except food and medicine.
It is not our objective to harm the Iranian people nor is it our objective to interfere with legitimate business activities REX TILLERSON US secretary of state