Kamal Ghorui
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said in Berlin on Wednesday that India has consistently maintained a balanced diplomatic approach under Prime Minister Modi, while leaving open the possibility of a greater Indian role in resolving global conflict, including the West Asia crisis.Paying homage to the victims on the first anniversary of Pahalgam attack at an Indian community event at Indian embassy in the German capital, Rajnath also delivered a sharp rebuke to Pakistan, saying, “(Our) neighbours are more or less fine; there’s just one problem, which you all know about. But if any neighbour now tries to mess around, then dot-dot-dot.”Rajnath also held bilateral talks with Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius to further boost the strategic defence partnership with the European nation. The two sides discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment, especially in field of niche technologies.While addressing the Indian community, Singh highlighted India’s efforts for resolution of conflicts. “India has tried… But everything has its time. It is possible that tomorrow, the time may come when India plays its role in this and achieves success as well. We cannot rule out this possibility. The PM has appealed to all sides to end the war.”He further noted that Modi had personally engaged with leaders of countries involved in major conflicts to encourage dialogue and peaceful resolution. “When he (PM Modi) met Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, he discussed this. Even when he met Trump, he discussed the issue and said that a solution should be found.”He also cited India’s diplomatic efforts leading to multiple Indian ships getting passage through the Strait of Hormuz.At the meeting between Singh and Pistorius, a defence industrial cooperation roadmap and implementing arrangement for cooperation in UN peacekeeping training were inked and exchanged. Rajnath said India is looking forward to the German Air Force’s participation in next edition of Ex-TARANG SHAKTI, which will be held in India in Sept-Oct.
