Prophet comments controversy: Tweets and comments don't reflect views of govt, says MEA

Asked if the issue came up during EAM Dr S Jaishankar-Iran Foreign Minister's meet, the MEA spokesperson said it did not even as he added that Iran has pulled down its readout on its Foreign minister's meet with NSA Ajit Doval in which it had claimed that Indian side has assured "action that is a lesson" on the prophet remark.

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that the controversial remarks against the Prophet "did not reflect" the views of the government.

"We've made it pretty clear that the tweets and comments do not reflect the views of the government. This has been conveyed to our interlocutors as also the fact that action has been taken by concerned quarters against those who made the comments and tweets," MEA spokesperson Arindam Baghchi said in the weekly briefing.

Asked if the issue came up during EAM Dr S Jaishankar-Iran Foreign Minister's meet, the MEA spokesperson said it did not even as he added that Iran has pulled down its readout on its Foreign minister's meet with NSA Ajit Doval in which it had claimed that Indian side has assured "action that is a lesson" on the prophet remark. The Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had reportedly raised the issue of the controversial remarks during his meeting with NSA Doval in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Bagchi further said that India will host the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' meeting on 16th-17th June. EAM Dr S Jaishankar & Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will co-chair the meeting, he added. "India will host the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' meeting on 16th-17th June to mark the 30th anniversary of our dialogue relations and the 10th anniversary of our strategic partnership with ASEAN," the MEA spokesperson said.

"EAM Dr S Jaishankar & Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will co-chair the meeting. Foreign Ministers of other ASEAN member states and ASEAN Secretary-General will participate in the meeting. 2022 has been designated as the ASEAN-India friendship year," he added.