‘India pursues independent foreign policy’: MEA on US warning against sanitation

NewsBharati    09-Jan-2021 11:54:25 AM
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New Delhi, January 09: Giving a straight answer to the US after it warned India against sanitation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India has been pursuing an independent foreign policy based on national security interest that also applies to its defense acquisition and supplies.
  
 
Giving them answer like their style, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "India-US has a comprehensive global strategic partnership. India has a special and privileged partnership with Russia. We pursue an independent foreign policy, this also applies to our defence acquisition and supplies guided by a national security interest."
 

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Srivastava asserted that the US does not want to impose sanctions under Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against "its friends". But, he noted that very soon India would have to make choices between "trade-offs" and acquiring modern military hardware from the US.
 
"The CAATSA sanctions were never designed to harm friends and allies. They were aimed at a particular country. And there are many variables involved in it and I think I would put that issue to the side because I see other issues that potentially affect the future of the defence relationship," he said.
 
This has come after a US Congressional report also said, "India's multi-billion dollar deal to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defence system may trigger US sanctions on India under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act."
 
Apart from his outgoing US envoy Kenneth Juster warned India against sanitation saying that the Indian government may have to make hard decisions regarding its decision to purchase the S-400 air defence system from Russia.
 
India had signed a USD 5.43-billion deal with Russia for the purchase of five S-400 systems during the 19th India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit in New Delhi on October 5, 2019, for long-term security needs. Washington had indicated that the Russian S-400 systems may trigger CAATSA sanctions.