Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday that India is “closely monitoring” the situation in West Asia and developments in the region.
At a weekly press conference, Jaiswal was responding to a question about Pakistan’s role in ensuring a ceasefire between the US and Iran.
A reporter’s question was: “Trump, right, left and center, has been praising Pakistan in particular [Pak army chief Field Marshal] Asim Mounir, for the role he played in the ceasefire. How does India view Pakistan’s role in the ceasefire? Trump also said he was ready to travel to Pakistan. Is there any talk about Trump stopping in India?
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“We have a very simple answer to your question. We are closely following developments in the West Asia region,” Jaiswal responded.
Regarding the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, he said: “India welcomes the ceasefire and supports all steps towards peace.”
He also answered a question about whether India would participate in a meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss the Strait of Hormuz.
“Will India participate in this? What is India’s position?” The reporter asked.
Jaiswal said that India has received an invitation to participate in the meeting, which is scheduled to begin soon. “More information will be shared after the meeting,” he added.
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In response to a question regarding Indian citizens in Iran, the spokesman said that since the start of the war, India has helped repatriate 2,361 Indian citizens.
“Since the outbreak of the conflict, we have helped bring 2,361 Indian nationals safely from Iran to India. Of these, 2,060 came via Armenia and 301 via Azerbaijan. This 2,361 includes 1,041 Indian students, as well as three foreigners: one from Bangladesh, one from Sri Lanka, and one from Guyana.”
On Pakistan’s reaction to the PoK clause in India’s demarcation bill, Jaiswal said: “With regard to the demarcation exercise, India’s internal affairs are India’s internal affairs, and we reject any attempts to interfere in it or make any such statements.”
At the 33rd UN Climate Change Conference (COP33), Jaiswal said: “Yes, India has withdrawn. There are many issues that have been taken into account, but India remains fully committed to fulfilling its climate change commitments. We are, or were, one of the G20 countries, which has fully fulfilled its commitments in Paris, and we continue to build on our green agenda, and at the same time, we see how best we can promote more climate change action around the world along with Our international partners, including through the International Solar Alliance and other similar initiatives.” Which we did.”
