India to Rex Tillerson: Won’t Act Against North Korea and Iran
India has made its position clear to the visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that it will not displease North Korea and Iran – which are enemy nations for the Trump Administration.
India’s “domestic foreign minister” Sushma Swaraj (who mostly stays in the country while PM Narendra Modi keeps roaming abroad in the name of maintaining foreign relations) told Tillerson today that India will keep its embassy in North Korea.
The Trump Administration has declared North Korea a rogue nation because of Pyongyang’s continuous nuclear threats to the U.S. and its allies including Japan and South Korea.
Although India’s trade volume with North Korea is insignificant, Sushma Swaraj stated that the Indian embassy in Pyongyang keeps communication lines open between the two countries.
[ President Trump to Visit Asia. Why Trump Won’t Visit India ]
Similarly, India has shown its reluctance to cut ties with Iran, as Trump has decided to cancel Iran nuclear deal signed in 2015.
Last year, India had committed to invest $500 million to develop the Chabahar port, near Iran’s border with Pakistan. The proposed port will open a new transit route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, allowing Indian companies to export their products while avoiding the land route through Pakistan.
Today, Tillerson also met Modi for an informal discussion around bilateral relations between the two countries.
Earlier in the day, Secretary Tillerson had detailed discussions with Sushma Swaraj and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
Photo courtesy: Press Information Bureau
