Democracy And Rights Have Been Topics Of Discussion With India: Antony Blinken, US SoS

Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, United States (US), on Wednesday, at Davos, World Economic Forum (WEF), said that Democracy and rights have been the points of discussion with India. “Biden wanted to bring back the fundamentals of democracy. Democracy and Rights are the points of discussion and we had sustained and real discussion with India,” he added.

Blinken further mentioned that India is an extraordinary success story and PM Modi has done a commendable job in this which has materially benefitted many Indian lives. He also emphasised that the relationship between India and the US has reached new highs.

Speaking about the Israel-Hamas Conflict he said, “Dehumanisation is the single largest issue that the world is facing today.” He said that Jewish, Palestinian Muslims and Palestinian Christian lives are equally important for the US. The Secretary of State further mentioned that many Palestinians still do not believe that an incident like 7 October (Hamas attacking Israel) has happened, it is an example of dehumanisation.

Blinken stated that the pathway to a secure Palestinian state is through integration with Israel. “Arab nations along with other Muslim nations are ready for integration with Israel and significant steps have been taken by these nations to better their ties with Israel,” he added.

Blinken also said that the ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war is not expected anytime soon. He condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Talking about Ukraine joining European Union (EU), Blinken said that it was the will of the people of Ukraine and a sovereign decision. Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022 and has been granted EU candidate status in June 2022.