It Is Good To Be Friendly With The US

Exclusive Interview: V.K. Singh, minister Of state For external Affairs, says India is not tilted in favour of any particular country.
 

- Pradip R. Sagar

IN THE PAST four years, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh has made 79 visits to 57 countries, perhaps the most ever by a junior minister in the MEA. He has also led rescue missions to bring back Indians stranded in conflict zones abroad, earning himself the nickname ‘sankat mochan’ (saviour). After his successful rescue operation in Yemen in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I believe this is the first time that a government minister has stood on the battlefield like a soldier to do this work.... I salute General V. K. Singh.”

Even as India’s foreign relations face a series of challenges with a trade war with the United States, a not-so-friendly neighbourhood, lukewarm ties with traditional partner Russia and an increasingly assertive China, Singh remains unperturbed. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, he said India enjoyed excellent ties with everyone, and was not tilted in favour of any particular country. He spoke on a range of issues, including India’s ties with the US, the situation on the India-China border, India’s approach towards the unfolding peace process on the Korean Peninsula and the engagement with Pakistan.

Excerpts from the interview: In the wake of the trade war with the US, how does the government ensure that bilateral ties are not affected?

India’s position has been very clear. We, as a nation, look at our own interests. We have good relations with Saudi Arabia. At the same time, we share good relations with Iran, too. Both are on different poles. There is tension between the US and Russia, but we have friendship with both countries. We are not forsaking friendships anywhere. The same is the case with Palestine and Israel. We have tweaked our foreign policy in the interest of bilateral relationships.