New Delhi [India], October 4 : Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, French Ambassador to India, Thierry Mathou, said that the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kyiv was an important signal to make proposals and to clearly recall the basic principles of international law.
Mathou said that the principles of the UN Charter need to be respected.
"The visit of Prime Minister Modi in Kyiv was an important signal to make proposals and to clearly recall the basic principles of international law. The principles of the UN Charter need to be respected. Further interactions with both parties will be useful to identify the conditions of a negotiation towards peace, that will necessarily have to be a fair and sustainable one," the French Ambassador told ANI.
Mathou further said that Russia is waging a brutal war of conquest and aggression in Ukraine.
"India is a sovereign country and I don't have to comment on its relationship with Russia. We need to make sure that exports to Russia do not prolong the war or enable violations of human rights. This is the reason why we have recently strongly condemned, with Germany and the United Kingdom, Iran's exports and Russia's procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles or of dual use products," he said.
The French diplomat said that "nothing in this war is in the interest of any nation"
"Russia is waging a brutal war of conquest and aggression in Ukraine, disrespecting the most fundamental human rights as well as the basic principle of international law. Nothing in this war is in the interest of any nation," he said, adding that "President Macron clearly stated in his speech in the UN 'Who can still believe it will be protected from its strongest, most violent and greediest neighbours, if we let Russia win as if nothing had happened?'."
On being asked about the trajectory of India-France relations with new government in place, the envoy said that it is "ascending" for sure.
"The trajectory of our relationship is ascending. We can say that India is France's foremost partner in Asia and that France is one of the most reliable partners for India in the world," he said.
Mathou said that China has a "special responsibility" in upholding the rules-based international order, because it is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
"We have a European and multifaceted policy approach towards China: it is simultaneously a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival. We continue to engage with China to tackle global challenges. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has a special responsibility in upholding the rules-based international order, the United Nations Charter and international law. The East and South China Seas are of strategic importance for regional and global prosperity and security," Mathou told ANI, on being asked about China 's growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific.
"We are concerned about growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait. We oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion," he added.
Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.
Beijing claims that the UN resolution confirmed its one-China principle, which implies that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China.
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