India-US on quest for perfect union, right historical wrongs: EAM in RS

US Secretary Antony Blinken's meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar became the point of interest during question hour in Rajya Sabha. There is strong defence cooperation with the US and maritime exercises are going on, said Jaishankar.

New Delhi: US Secretary Antony Blinken's meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar became the point of interest during question hour in Rajya Sabha. There is strong defence cooperation with the US and maritime exercises are going on, said Jaishankar.

"We highlighted that in our approach to global issues we are guided by the quest for perfect union, but we seek to right historical wrongs. When it comes to freedom, we shouldn't treat it as non-governance or abdication of responsibilities. Our conversation on this should be balanced," said Jaishankar.

Swapan Dasgupta, MP asked what are the steps and strategies taken up with other countries so that situation in Afghanistan become better. He also pointed out that China did not feature in the conversation with Blinken while Afghanistan came up.

Jaishankar answered that there was a detailed discussion on the situation in Afghanistan. We have planned for a very clear, well-negotiated political settlement in the country. We will work with the international community so that the issue is resolved and there is strong convergence with the US and India.

US President Joe Biden's strong commitment to QUAD came forth during the meeting, said Sujeet Kumar, MP. Kumar also raised question on China's massive propaganda in Asia pacific. Jaishankar replied four countries have come together for goodness of the world. We are working on several things like vaccines, education, connectivity, maritime security. Any narrative to distort reality will not gain traction and I am confident that the objective of the QUAD will be accepted.

On the D.P. Vats, MP's query on how effective is maritime security in South China Sea, Jaishankar said the policy of our country is to ensure legitimate national security. Regional and global challenges are addressed, he said. Meanwhile, ruckus by Opposition MPs continued in Rajya Sabha.

Blinken discussed a wide range of issues including Indo-Pacific engagement and shared regional security interests last day with Jaishankar. The talk covered topics like health collaboration to combat COVID-19, including the Quad vaccine partnership that was first announced during President Biden's Quad summit. Both sides reviewed the multifaceted India-US bilateral relations and the potential for consolidating them further.