New Delhi: The situation in Manipur is a matter of human concern and the U.S. is ready to assist India in dealing with the situation “if asked”, U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said on Thursday. Over the past month and a half, Manipur has been burning resulting in several deaths, violence, bloodletting, and failed efforts to restore peace.
Speaking at a press conference in Kolkata, Garcetti appreciated the multi-religious nature of Kolkata and said that the U.S. is interested in bringing more investment to the eastern and northeastern parts of India.
In response to a question on whether the US is concerned about the situation in Manipur, Garcetti said, "Let me speak about Manipur first. We pray for peace there. When you ask us about the concern of the United States, I don’t think it’s a strategic concern. I think it’s about human concern. You don’t have to be Indian to care when you see children and individuals die in the sort of violence that we see in Manipur and we know that peace is the precedent for so many other good things".
"There have been so many good things in the northeast and the east here and those can’t continue without peace,” added Garcetti. Garcetti said, “We stand ready to assist in any way if asked. We know it’s an Indian matter and we pray for peace and that it may come quickly. Because we can bring more collaboration, more projects, more investment if that peace is in place.”
“One very clear message I want to send — the east of India and the northeast of India matters to the United States. Its people, its places, its potential, and its future matter to us,” he said. He also pointed out the strategic significance of the northeastern region, as it borders five neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, during the weekly media briefing on Thursday, responding to a query on Garcetti's remark on Manipur, Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, " We would also pray for peace, our security forces have been working and the government is looking after it. Not sure if foreign diplomats will comment on internal matters". During his visit to Kolkata, Garcetti met West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and Principal Chief Adviser to Chief Minister Amit Mitra.
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To the best of my recollection going back atleast 4 decades in Public life I have never heard an US Ambassador making a statement of this nature about the internal affairs of India.
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 7, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
We faced Challenges in Punjab, J&K , North East over the decades and surmounted those with… pic.twitter.com/fW58ZiShCA
">To the best of my recollection going back atleast 4 decades in Public life I have never heard an US Ambassador making a statement of this nature about the internal affairs of India.
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 7, 2023
We faced Challenges in Punjab, J&K , North East over the decades and surmounted those with… pic.twitter.com/fW58ZiShCATo the best of my recollection going back atleast 4 decades in Public life I have never heard an US Ambassador making a statement of this nature about the internal affairs of India.
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 7, 2023
We faced Challenges in Punjab, J&K , North East over the decades and surmounted those with… pic.twitter.com/fW58ZiShCA
Congress reacted sharply after the Garcetti's comments. Taking to tweet Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari wrote -"To the best of my recollection going back atleast 4 decades in Public life I have never heard an US Ambassador making a statement of this nature about the internal affairs of India. We faced Challenges in Punjab, J&K , North East over the decades and surmounted those with sagacity & wisdom. Even when Robin Raphel would be loquacious on J&K in the 1990’s the US Ambassador’s in India were circumspect".
"I doubt if the New @USAmbIndia @ericgarcetti is cognisant of the convoluted & torturous history of US-India relations & our sensitivity about interference perceived or real, well intentioned or mal intentioned into our internal affairs," he added.
