US envoy Eric Garcetti on Thursday said he respects that India likes its “strategic autonomy”, but in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy, even as he pitched for forging a stronger partnership between New Delhi and Washington. In his address at a defence news conclave here, he also said that in an interconnected world, “no war is distant anymore” and asserted that one must not just stand for peace, but also take concrete actions to make sure those who don’t play by peaceful rules, their war machines “cannot continue unabated”. The US envoy said that is something the US needs to know and that India needs to know together.
His comments come against the backdrop of multiple ongoing conflicts in the world, including in Ukraine and Israel-Gaza. Garcetti’s remarks follow the Biden administration on Tuesday saying that India will continue to be a strategic partner for the US despite concerns over its ties with Russia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Russia for two days for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit that has been watched closely by the West amidst the raging Ukraine conflict.
The event was held at the United Services Institution (USI), Delhi, and attended by many defence experts. “I know that India..
. and I respect that India likes its strategic autonomy. But in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy.
We will, in crisis moments, need to know each other. I don’t care what title we put to it, but we .
