Transcript of Weekly Media Briefing by the Official Spokesperson (July 19, 2024)

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Let's open this session. The floor is yours.

Pranay:Sir, Pranay Zee News se. Mera sawal Bangladesh ki situation ko le kar hain. Bangladesh mei kafi tense situation hain, kai chatron ki maut hui hain, Bhartiya chatra jo wha par hai aur Bhartiya nagrik jo wahan hain unko lekar kya jankari hai hamare pass? Aur Bangladesh mei internet band hain toh hamare Mission ka input hain is pure mamle mei?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, this is Pranay from Zee News. My question is regarding the situation in Bangladesh. The situation in Bangladesh is quite tense, with several students having lost their lives. What information do we have concerning Indian students and Indian citizens who are there? Additionally, since the internet is down in Bangladesh, what input does our Mission have on this entire matter?

Yeshi Seli: Yeshi Seli from The New Indian Express. In addition to what Pranay asked, are there any students, Indian students, who are amongst those who have died?

Gautam:Yeah, Sir, it seems that now the radical forces have taken over the movement. And they are threatening even to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by unconstitutional means. What is the India's assessment of the ground situation? And what are the options for India to do?

Ayushi Agarwal: This is Ayushi Agarwal from ANI. Sir, two questions, one on Bangladesh. Do we also have the numbers of how many Indian students reside in Bangladesh? Second, can we have some details of the telephonic talks between our EAM and Ukrainian Foreign Minister? Also, I would like to have your comment on the statement made by the Ukrainian President on X when our Prime Minister was in Russia calling it a devastating blow to the peace efforts. Have we taken this up with the Ukrainian authorities here in New Delhi or with the Foreign Minister during the talks?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson:Okay, any more question on Bangladesh? We can all, there will be a lot of questions on Bangladesh. Any more questions on Bangladesh?

Kallol: This is Kallol from the Hindu. My question is in view of the developments where reportedly around 50 people have died in police shooting, what is the Indian advice to the Government of Bangladesh? Should they go for dialogue at this moment? Or do you think the dialogue was delayed, which might have led to this escalation?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson:So first, let me address the question on Bangladesh. As you are aware, there is an unrest. There are protests which are happening there. We have around 8,500 students and somewhere around 15,000 Indian nationals resident in the country. We have issued a travel advisory for people to be in touch with the High Commission and for us to render any assistance that they may need. External Affairs Minister is himself monitoring the situation. The High Commission will be giving regular updates on the situation there. We will also be giving regular updates. And we urge all family members of Indian nationals who reside in Bangladesh to be in touch, follow us for regular updates. We remain committed to provide all possible assistance to our nationals.

There was a related question from Gautamji. On that, I would like to convey that we see this as an internal matter of Bangladesh. Kallol, that was also my answer to you.

Yeshi, regarding your question, all our Indian nationals are safe there. And we have a large student community, as I told you 8,500 students are there about. Many of them pursue medical education also in that country. So they're all safe and sound. And we are in touch. They are in touch with our High Commission, with our Assistant High Commission as well. And we are regularly keeping in touch with them to render all assistance, any assistance that they may need.

Pranay aapke sawal par, humko gyat hain ki wahan par jo protest chal rahain hain uske liye sarkar ne kuch kadam uthaye hain. Lekin wahan par jo suvidhaye hain, batchit ki, telecommunication ki, woh sab thik chal raha hain aur us madhyam se hum apne logon se jude hue hain.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Pranay, in response to your question, we are aware that the government has taken some measures regarding the ongoing protests there. However, the facilities there, of communication, of telecommunication, are functioning properly, and through those means, we are in touch with our people.

Ayushi, regarding your question about EAM's conversation with Foreign Minister of Ukraine, this afternoon, External Affairs Minister spoke to the Foreign Minister of Ukraine and discussed bilateral issues of mutual interest. As far as the question about, Yeshi, you had a question, related question on Ukraine. You see, we have several engagements with Ukraine. We have bilateral mechanisms, we have institutional mechanisms. We keep on talking to each other, various matters, and that is where it is.

Ayushi, regarding your question, Prime Minister had gone to Russia to attend the Annual Summit, the 22nd Annual Summit between India and Russia. During the occasion, he made it very clear that the solution to any war does not lie in the battlefield. He also made it clear what he thinks about violence and children, innocent people being impacted in violence, people in general being impacted in violence. So, all these issues were made very clear in his press statements. When he spoke to the media, he spoke to the public at large. Can we go forward to more questions?

Sidhant: Hi Sir, Sidhant from WION. There are reports that the BRICS countries plan to trade using cryptocurrencies. If you can comment on that.

And my second question is on the remarks made by the US Ambassador, Garcetti, last week. He made remarks like there is no place for strategic autonomy and no war is foreign. These were directed looking like at India in a week where Prime Minister was in Moscow. So, if you can comment on his remarks.

Huma Siddiqui:Sir I am Huma Siddiqui from the Financial Express. Related to BRICS, Iran has recently announced that it is ready to sell oil and gas to the BRICS members. So, is India looking at that possibility of restarting import of oil from Iran?

Ileana: Good afternoon. Ileana, TASS News Agency. My first question also relates to BRICS. I would like to ask about the idea of creation Parliamentary Institutional Organization like the parliament in the frame of BRICS. So, what is India's position on such an idea and what is the possibility and what do you think, what role it may play in frame of this organization? And the second question is on the one of the outcomes of Modi's visit to Moscow. The two leaders, as we know, adopted a joint statement and one of it was particularly on economic cooperation. And as we know, Minister for Foreign Affairs Jaishankar is the head of from Indian side of the Governmental Commission on Trade, Cultural, Scientific Cooperation. So, do you already discuss the dates for the next meeting of this commission, when and where it may take place? Thank you.

Manas: This is Manas from PTI. Similar question to what Sidhant asked. This was not only Eric Garcetti, I mean, making critical comments on India-Russia relations, particularly after Prime Minister Modi's visit to Moscow, but several other high-ranking US officials have actually made comments criticizing India, India's close relations with Russia and Prime Minister Modi's visit. How does India see these comments and what's your reaction?

Chandrakala: Hi, Sir. Chandrakala from ETV Bharat. I just wanted to if there is any big decision taken to finalize rules for reducing visa delays for Chinese technicians, I mean, business delays, if you could on this. Thanks.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson:Okay, let me answer these questions, then I'll come back for more. Sidhant, your question regarding cryptocurrencies. There is no such proposal as of now in BRICS to settle trade in cryptocurrency. So, that is a short answer to your question.

The other question was regarding comments on strategic autonomy. India, like many other countries, values its strategic autonomy. The US Ambassador is entitled obviously to his opinion. We also have our own and different views. Our comprehensive global strategic partnership with the United States gives us the space to agree, to disagree on certain issues while respecting each other's view-points. So, that is my answer to you.

Huma, regarding BRICS, issues regarding BRICS are discussed in that forum. So, the issue that you mentioned, perhaps it's a proposal which will be taken up as and when BRICS grouping meets and then things will be taken forward.

Ileana, your question regarding parliamentary institution. This month, we had BRICS Parliamentary Forum Meeting in Russia where this particular idea was put forth. It's an idea which needs to be explored and it will be explored by the BRICS membership. As of now, our focus should be to strengthen collaboration and cooperation within the existing mechanism of BRICS Parliamentary Forum that we have. On I-R India-Russia intergovernmental cooperation, we just had the Annual Summit. So, as part of the Annual Summit, decision was taken which is part of the joint statement as well, that the next round of India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission will be held. Both sides will be working out mutually convenient dates and we'll take this bilateral collaboration platform forward with a robust agenda.

Manas, your question is regarding India-U.S. relationship. Between India and the United States, it's a comprehensive strategic global partnership. We have a lot of issues to discuss and both sides engage with each other on several aspects of the relationship and we discuss all issues that are of interest to both parties. As far as you are talking about something that forms part of bilateral conversation, diplomatic conversations, those are things that as a matter of practice we don't speak about it, don't make it public.

Chandrakala your question regarding visa. All visa matters are decided by a policy, policy that is well laid out. So, whether it is X or Y country, based on the merit of the case, visas will be issued to people and visa matters will be discussed in the rubric of established policy that we have for all countries including China.

Jaiprakash: Sir main Jaiprakash hoon Dainik Jagran se. Do din pahle Bharat mei jo Tibet ke nirwachit Sarkar hain unke pramukh ne kaha tha ki China ke sath unki backdoor batchit ho rahi hain. Mere do sawal hain, pehla, kya Bharat isko kaise dekhta hain ki Tibet ki nirwachit Sarkar China se batchit kar rahi hain. Aur dusra unke is bayan par, China ka jo dutawas hain usne bahot hi tikhi pratikriya jari ki hain, toh donon ke bich jo tanav hain ya vadvivad hain uspar Bharat ki kya pratikriya hain?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Jaiprakash from Dainik Jagran. Two days ago, the head of the Tibetan Government-in-exile in India said that they are having backdoor talks with China. I have two questions. First, how does India view the Tibetan Government-in-exile talking to China? And second, the Chinese Embassy has issued a very sharp reaction to this statement. What is India's response to the tension or dispute between them?

Suhasini Haidar: Suhasini Haidar from the Hindu. I just like to ask, it's been more than a week since Prime Minister Modi and President Putin met and according to the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Putin had agreed to a discharge of Indians serving in the Russian Army. Has there been any follow up on that? Have those orders been issued yet? Because the soldiers we've been speaking to have not really heard about their own discharge. I'd like to know how many you think are still over there and whether they are likely to get those discharges anytime soon.

Rishabh: Good evening Sir, Rishabh from Times Now. I have two questions. One, as Suhasini asked, if we can have a number because the numbers that have come in, initially it was talked about around 30, then the Russian Embassy talked about 100 Indians who are there. So if we can have a number and then obviously how Suhasini asked that, what's the status on that? Sir the second thing, near Oman, one ship, the oil tanker capsized, nine Indians have been, nine crew members have been released but what about the remaining six? Do we have any idea about the rescue operations?

Srinjoy: Sir, at this point, as of two, three days ago, there are over 31,200 people from Myanmar in two states of India. Mizoram there are 25,000 more and in strifed on Manipur, 6,000. The numbers seem to be increasing every day. This has the potential of a humanitarian crisis and possibly a security crisis. What is the government's plan? Because there is no chance, at least as of now, of the strife in Myanmar ending.

Siddhant:Hi Sir I am Siddhant from CNN News18. Some reports are suggesting that Turkey has imposed an export ban on India in terms of military export. Do you have any comments to make on that? Thank you.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson:So first, Jaiprakashji aapke sawal ka jawab. Dekhiye China ka jahan tak sawal hain, Bharat aur China ke rishton ka sawal hain, uspar jo hamara stand hain, jo position hain usse aap bhalibhati vakif hain. Maine is manch se kai dafa hamare rishton pe humne baat ki hain, toh main chahunga ki aap jo hum logon ne pahle kaha hain us par aap dhyan de, woh hamare website pe bhi available hain, yahi mera jawab rehega aape sawal ka.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] So first, Jaiprakashji, in response to your question. Look, as far as China is concerned and the matter of India-China relations, you are well aware of our stand and position on that. I have spoken about our relations many times from this platform, so I would like you to refer to what we have previously said, which is also available on our website. That will be my answer to your question.

Suhasini, regarding Indian nationals in Russian Army…as per our understanding and this is based on the family members and Indian nationals themselves who've gotten in touch with us, we have about 50 Indian nationals who have gotten in touch with us, who want to be discharged, their family members also met us. This particular issue has been raised by us at all levels including at the leadership level. This issue was also taken up by our Prime Minister when he met President Putin during the Annual Summit. The Russian side has responded positively. We are both working for early discharge of our Indian nationals and hopefully we will get our Indian nationals, they will come back home soon.

Rishabh, on your question, how many…50 around people have gotten in touch with us who want to be discharged. So that is the number that we are looking at. In addition, we told you before that 10 Indian nationals have returned from Russia.

On the question of the ship which capsized off the coast of Oman, search and rescue operation continues. This particular ship capsized on 15th, that is Monday. Since then, Indian Navy has been doing search and rescue operation. The Omani authorities have also been undertaking search and rescue operation. We have been able to locate and rescue nine people, which includes eight Indian nationals and one Sri Lankan. These nine are part of the crew members. In all, there were 16 people on board, so 16 crew members. One person has died. The remaining six are still missing and efforts are on to locate them as well.

Srinjoy, on the question of Myanmar, there is an ongoing crisis in the country. We are aware of it. This is a matter which is under…when the Myanmar's Foreign Minister came, we had a discussion on it. A read-out of that was made available as well. We are also rendering humanitarian assistance to Myanmar as a matter of a policy. We rendered assistance to Myanmar when Cyclone Mocha impacted that country. We are also dealing with some of the issues that you raised on the basis of humanitarian approach. We remain committed to…we want a peaceful solution of the ongoing crisis based on a constructive dialogue among all the stakeholders and we support restoration of democracy in the country.

Siddhant, your question regarding Turkey, we have seen some reports. As far as my knowledge is concerned and information is concerned, that information is not good. So I will refer you to please take that question to the Turkish Embassy who can for short give you an answer because it is a post which generated in Turkey. To my understanding, to the best of my knowledge, it is disinformation at best.

Narayanan: Hi name is PM Narayanan from German ARD. I want to know about the India-Israel Mobility Agreement, and the question is how many are already gone, how many workers have gone to Israel, and what is the demand from Israeli side, and how do you see the security situation in Israel right now for Indian workers?

Neeraj Dubey:Sir main Neeraj Dubey hoon Prabha Shakshi se. Sir America ne Ukraine mei sthai shanti sunishchit karne ke liye Bharat se phir se samarthan manga hain, is par aapki pratikriya?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Neeraj Dubey from Prabha Shakshi. Sir, America has again sought India's support to ensure permanent peace in Ukraine. What is your response to this?

Santosh Thankur: Sir main Santosh Thakur hoon Navbharat se. Main do sawal puchna chahta hoon. Ek, China ne Sir Nepal mei oil and gas ki khoj ke liye apne paise kharch karne ka nirnay kiya aur unse bola ki hum apni taraf se paisa kharch kar ke yahan pe oil aur gas ki khoj karenge jis se Nepal ki nirbharta Bharat par kam ho. Ek toh ispe aapki tippani chahiye. Sir dusra, naye Videsh Sachiv ne pahli yatra Bhutan ki ki hain Sir toh iske kya mayne hain, jabki padose ke sabhi deshon mei uthal puthal hain. Toh Bhutan ko hi chunne ki kya wajah hai? Dhanyawad.

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Santosh Thakur from Navbharat. I want to ask two questions. First, China has decided to spend its own money on oil and gas exploration in Nepal, telling them that they will finance the exploration themselves to reduce Nepal's dependence on India. Could we have your comments on this? Sir secondly, the new Foreign Secretary's first trip has been to Bhutan. What is the significance of this, especially when there is turmoil in all the neighboring countries? What was the reason for choosing Bhutan?

Ayanangsha Maitra: This is Ayanangsha Maitra. I am an independent journalist. Sir, in the same forum, US Ambassador Eric Garcetti mentioned, our hearts are aligned, we need to align our feet. We want India to fix your ships and aircrafts. During the incumbency of Ambassador Eric Garcetti , have we received special appeal from US businesses for defense reduction or Atmanirbhar Bharat? Especially when the arms market has something that got a figure like 2 trillion?

Siddhant:Sir we have already seen the reaction of the Prime Minister on the assassination attempt on the Presidential candidate Donald Trump. What does India make of it? Do you see it as a backsliding of democracy in US, political violence in US?

Yeshi Seli: This is Yeshi again from the New Indian Express. This is on Myanmar. There have been reports of many Indian youth being misled and ending up in Cyber Fraud Centers in Myanmar. Some have managed to come back after paying heavy sums of money and the families of those who are still there are desperate to get those boys back. So is MEA or the Indian government doing anything to get them back?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: So first question to our friend here. With Israel, we have a Mobility Agreement. As part of that Mobility Agreement, we have people who have gone to Israel. We already have a large population of Indian workers, caregivers who are working in Israel. Since in the last several months, a number of people have gone. I don't have an exact figure as to how many people have gone but we have several workers who have gone to Israel. They are in touch. Our Embassy is in touch with the community and to look after the welfare. So that is what the situation is but on the exact number, I will come back to you.

Neeraj aapka sawal Ukraine ko le kar ke hain. Ukraine ke mamle mei aur Russia ke mamle mei jo hamara position hain usse aap bhalibhanti vakif hain. Hum ye chahte hain ki jo shanti ka rasta nikle woh rasta mez pe niklega, dialogue aur diplomacy ke jariye se niklega, aur is baat ko hamare Pradhan Mantri ne apne Russia ke daure mei bhalibhanti phir se dohraya ke dialouge aur diplomacy ka rasta jo hain usko chune aur aage badhain.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Neeraj, your question is regarding Ukraine. As far as the matter of Ukraine and Russia is concerned, you are well aware of our position. We believe that the path to peace will be found at the table, through dialogue and diplomacy. Our Prime Minister reiterated this again during his visit to Russia, emphasizing the need to choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy and move forward.

Santosh, aapka sawal tel sampada ko lekar tha, tirse desh tel sampada ki khoj mei kuch karain woh unka apna khudka neeti hain. Jahan tak hamara sawal hain, Nepal se hamare rishte bahot majboot hain aur hum chahte hain ki ye rishta aane wale dinon mei aur majboot ho, ismei hum aur purjor koshish kar rahain hain ki har kshtra mei hamare rishtey falain fule. Dusra sawal aapka…Videsh Sachiv aaj aur kal Bhutan ke daure pe hain. Ye unka pehla daura hain Videsh Sachiv ka karyabhar sambhalne ke baad. Bhutan ke sath jaisa ki aapko gyat hain ki ye rishta bahot hi aham hain, bahot mahavtapurna hain, aur Videsh Sachiv ka jana wahan is baat ko darshata hain, underline karta hain, highlight karta hain ki hamara jo policy hain neighborhood first uspar hum vishwas karte hain aur uspar hum karyarat bhi hain.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Your question was regarding oil exploration. If a third country does something in the field of oil exploration, it is their own policy. As far as we are concerned, our relations with Nepal are very strong, and we want this relationship to become even stronger in the coming days. We are making every effort to ensure that our relations flourish in all areas. Your second question…the Foreign Secretary is on a visit to Bhutan today and tomorrow. This is his first trip after taking charge as Foreign Secretary. As you know, our relationship with Bhutan is very important and significant. The Foreign Secretary's visit there shows, underlines and highlights that we believe in our "Neighborhood First" policy and are committed to work towards it.

Siddhant, you asked a question about…okay, so you know, obviously all of us are aware what happened. We've seen reports on the attack on former President. Subsequent to the attack, within hours, Prime Minister; he expressed his deep concerns on the attack and strongly condemned the incident. He had also pointed out that violence has no place in politics and democracies. He wished former President speedy recovery, and expressed solidarity with the family of the deceased, those injured and the American people. The US, we see them as a fellow democracy, and we wish them well.

Yeshi question on Myanmar, people caught in doing Cyber Fraud. So this has happened over the last several months, a year or so. A lot of people have actually come back. The Embassy has taken up their matter, and several of them have come back from Myanmar. If you want to get an update on number of people who come back, if you follow our Embassy's website, you will get to know exactly how many people approached the Embassy, to be discharged, to be helped, to be relieved from the duties and so they have returned. We are also following up on several cases that have come to light, and people who have approached us that they also want to return. And we've taken up this matter very strongly with the government. In fact, when the Foreign Minister of Myanmar was here in his discussion with…External Affairs Minister in his discussion with Foreign Minister raised this issue, and we are following up so that all those Indian who are caught there, they can come back home as early as possible.

Ayanangsha, your question, you know, India-US partnership is an expansive world. We have so much going on in this relationship, from defense to trade to technology to innovation to startup. We also, you know, Quad partnership. So all these are matters which are continuously under discussion, not just between the Embassy and Foreign Ministry here the External Affairs Ministry, but several organs of government of India and several organs of the government of the United States. It is a very intense and deep relationship, and all these issues are discussed in this partnership, and we want to further strengthen them, deepen them, and take this relationship forward.

If there are no more questions…thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, look forward to meeting you next week.

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