Berlin, Germany, May 24 : During an interaction at the German Council on Foreign Relations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke on the recent Pahalgam terror attack, India's subsequent Operation Sindoor, and the strong international support it has received, particularly from Germany.
Addressing the issue, he said, "When it comes to terrorism, today, there is virtually no country which would say they approve of what was done and won't condemn it. If I say I have the right to defend myself, my people and secure my country, much of the world will agree with me. Germany does. We are encouraged by the very early condemnation of the terrorist attack, as well as the clear message we got on May 7th and again today from Minister Wadephul that Germany recognises India's right to defend itself."
He further elaborated on the nature of the terror attack, stating, "This was a terrorist attack, which is part of a pattern which has targeted not only Jammu and Kashmir but other parts of India as well. This was meant to create a fear psychosis, destroy the tourism economy of Kashmir, and sow religious discord."
EAM Jaishankar added, "What we were responding to was terrorism, and when we responded, there was a lot of international understanding. We targeted terrorist headquarters and terror sites. Our campaign is against terrorism, and in this case, terrorists happen to be located in the country next door because that country, for many years, has used terrorism as a tool."
The minister's remarks highlight India's firm stance on counterterrorism and the strong international support it has received, particularly from Germany, regarding its right to self-defence and actions against terrorism.
As India and Germany mark 25 years of their strategic partnership, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also shared his vision for upgrading bilateral ties, suggesting collaboration in several key areas to further strengthen the relationship.
EAM Jaishankar made the remarks while speaking at the DGAP's Centre for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics and technology.
Jaishankar said in his speech that his visit comes as the two countries are celebrating 25 years of their strategic partnership.
He said, "To be here early in the tenure of this government, so that we really lose no time in forging a pathway towards taking after 25 years to look at the next 25 years and see where we can take our relationship".
Listing down the challenges which the modern world has brought forth, such as the chip war, climate change, poverty, damage done by the COVID pandemic, among others.
The EAM expressed confidence in the India-Germany ties to face them. He said, "The global picture is very challenging... for that I would argue that the partnership between India and Germany, and India and the European Union, of which Germany is a crucial and invaluable member, has acquired an importance and a salience much more than it has had before".
Sharing his engagements in Germany, the EAM noted that the time is ripe to think about the next 25 years and how we can fully realise the potential of India-Germany ties.
Sharing his thoughts on what can be done to upgrade the relationship, he listed down areas of collaboration. The first area he highlighted was "A good start would be defence and security. We've had sort of an off and on relationship here. There have been times decades ago when there were actually active defence ties between us. Then for whatever reason, there's a certain conservatism about taking it forward. But I have seen that in the last few years, once again, there is a realization in both countries that there is something that we have to offer to each other. And the defence and security of both countries would be very much stronger through our cooperation. And we see this reflected. We see this reflected in exercises in the visits of German ships to the Indo-Pacific and to Indian ports. We see it reflected in enhanced export licensing practices, in discussions whether there can be further technology and equipment collaboration between our countries."
The second area he brought to attention was talent and mobility to meet demand and demographics. He highlighted that India's demographic curve is in the right place to fashion a global workforce.
The third area was technology and digital AI, and the fourth area was sustainability and green growth. He expressed optimism for trade ties to grow between the two countries, and an FTA with the EU would help in that regard.
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