"When I saw the name Pahalgam, it really hit me hard": Former German Ambassador Thomas Matussek

Berlin [Germany], June 7 : Former German Ambassador to India Thomas Matussek advised his government that India, the biggest democracy in the world, should certainly be at the "forefront" as our strategic partner for future in a world where old alliances "show cracks".

Matussek told ANI, "... Germany is interested in stability. And stability means resolving issues through negotiations rather than by exchanging fire on both sides. In this world, where old alliances show cracks, we need to look beyond the fence to possible partners. Here we have the biggest democracy in the world, and if I were to advise my government, who should be our strategic partners for the future? India certainly should be at the forefront.

He also called for deepening the strategic cooperation of Germany with India, as the country is "fighting the same enemies of democracy".

He added, "If we look at China or the US, our closest partner, going through a period of instability and chaos, it's important that we mend our offences with India and come to an arrangement on trade and deepen our strategic cooperation with India... India in the long run is fighting the same enemies of democracy. It would be every rupee well spent to invest in that bilateral strategic defence partnership..."

The former envoy said that the Pahalgam terror attack "really hit him hard" and said that it is no longer a secret who is standing up behind the terrorists.

"It's very important that this high-level delegation came at this moment because we have a new German government and it's very important to have some continuity... It was a great pleasure to meet some old friends like MJ Akbar... This delegation is very welcome. We are delighted that they're here... When I saw the name Pahalgam, it really hit me hard. We have seen a long period of exchange of weapons, of terrorism, counter terrorism between India and Pakistan, but since both countries are nuclear powers, it has reached a new quality, and I can only recommend the Indian government for being so measured in their response. Because we know exactly who the terrorists are. We know exactly who is behind the terrorists. I prayed that India's answer would not be an awful...," he added.

The delegation led by Ravi Shankar Prasad arrived in Germany after concluding their visit to Belgium.

The other delegates are BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, MJ Akbar, Gulam Ali Khatana, and Samik Bhattacharya; Congress MP Amar Singh, Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena (UBT), AIADMK MP M Thambidurai and former diplomat Pankaj Saran.

Earlier, Ravi Shankar Prasad said they raised strong concerns about terrorism during their visit to Brussels and generals of Pakistan "run that country with the help of a military terrorist coalition", which is a "threat" to democracy and humanity.

This diplomatic effort forms part of India's global outreach following Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored militants that claimed 26 lives and injured several others.

Subsequently, the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

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