External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, speaking on the ongoing wars (Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Hamas), on Wednesday said the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7 was “terrorism” and that the Palestinians have been denied their homeland.
Addressing the Indian community in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jaishankar also spoke about India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and said there are “no winners of a conflict”.
On the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the External Affairs Minister said, “On one hand, what happened on October 7 was terrorism, on the other hand, nobody would, you know, countenance the deaths of innocent civilians. Countries may be justified at least in their own minds and response, but you cannot have a response which does not take into account something called international humanitarian law.”
“And the fact is, that whatever the rights and wrongs of the issue, there is the underlying issue of the rights of the Palestinians and the fact that they have been denied their homeland,” the External Affairs Minister added.
JAISHANKAR’S RESPONSE TO THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Responding to a question on India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar said that, “We have also been the country who have the opportunity to talk to the Russians very frankly and bluntly on this (Ukraine) issue on different aspects. You know, others have used us to pass messages.”
“And by the way, the same thing applies when it comes to the Gaza-Israel conflict as well.” “We took the position from the start, that you’re not going to get a solution to this conflict on the battlefield,” he said.
“At the end of the day, every party and a lot of innocent bystanders or other nations also get ruined or affected. One way or the other by conflict. So, our position has been here to find a way of bringing this conflict to an end,” Jaishankar said.
“Very honestly, in some circles, this was not a very popular position at that time,” he added.
INDIA-MALAYSIA TIES
During his address, Jaishankar also said India and Malaysia are by nature “pluralistic”. He also talked about his meeting with Malaysia’s top leadership and hoped that the ties would be further strengthened.
He also held a “productive” round-table meeting with CEOs in Malaysia.
“Glad to hear about growing interest in partnering with Indian industries. Encouraged them to join in India’s growth story. Discussed geopolitical developments that can provide more opportunities in India-Malaysia business interactions,” he said in a post on X.
The minister also met SA Vigneswaran, President of Malaysian Indian Congress, and the bloc’s members and thanked them for their continued support towards nurturing closer India-Malaysia ties.
Jaishankar is in Kuala Lumpur on the third and last leg of his three-nation tour to Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia.