May 27 \u2013 India\u2019s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has reaffirmed the country\u2019s strong position on counterterrorism in the wake of the recent Pahalgam terror attack and praised Germany for its early and unequivocal support for India\u2019s right to self-defence. <\/p>\n
He was speaking at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) during his official visit to Berlin.<\/p>\n
Addressing the incident and India\u2019s subsequent Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar said that there is now near-universal global consensus against terrorism. \u201cWhen it comes to terrorism, today there is virtually no country which would say they approve of what was done and won\u2019t condemn it,\u201d he noted. \u201cIf I say I have the right to defend myself, my people, and secure my country, much of the world will agree with me. Germany does.\u201d<\/p>\n
He welcomed Germany\u2019s strong message of support, including swift condemnation of the attack and reaffirmation of India\u2019s right to defend itself. \u201cWe are encouraged by the very early condemnation of the terrorist attack, as well as the clear message we got on May 7th and again today from Minister Wadephul that Germany recognises India\u2019s right to defend itself,\u201d Jaishankar said.<\/p>\n
Describing the nature of the attack, Jaishankar emphasised that it was not an isolated incident, but part of a larger pattern of violence. \u201cThis was a terrorist attack which is part of a pattern that has targeted not only Jammu and Kashmir but other parts of India as well,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt was meant to create a fear psychosis, destroy the tourism economy of Kashmir, and sow religious discord.\u201d<\/p>\n
He made it clear that India\u2019s response specifically targeted terror infrastructure, not civilians. \u201cWhat we were responding to was terrorism, and when we responded, there was a lot of international understanding. We targeted terrorist headquarters and terror sites. Our campaign is against terrorism, and in this case, terrorists happen to be located in the country next door because that country, for many years, has used terrorism as a tool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jaishankar\u2019s remarks come as India and Germany mark 25 years of their strategic partnership. He said his visit was an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past and to chart a vision for the next phase of the relationship. \u201cTo be here early in the tenure of this government, so that we really lose no time in forging a pathway towards taking after 25 years to look at the next 25 years and see where we can take our relationship,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
He highlighted several pressing global challenges \u2014 from the chip war and climate change to poverty and the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic \u2014 and expressed confidence that the India-Germany partnership is well-placed to address them. \u201cThe global picture is very challenging,\u201d he said, \u201cbut the partnership between India and Germany, and India and the European Union, of which Germany is a crucial and invaluable member, has acquired an importance and a salience much more than it has had before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Jaishankar outlined four key areas where India and Germany could enhance cooperation. First, he called for deeper collaboration in defence and security. He acknowledged that while the two countries had once enjoyed close defence ties, there had been some reluctance in recent years. However, he noted a renewed willingness on both sides. \u201cThe defence and security of both countries would be very much stronger through our cooperation,\u201d he said, citing joint exercises, port visits by German ships to the Indo-Pacific, and improved export licensing practices as signs of progress.<\/p>\n
The second area he highlighted was talent and mobility. He noted that India\u2019s favourable demographic curve positions it to help meet global labour demands, including in Germany. The third area was technology, particularly digital transformation and artificial intelligence. The fourth was sustainability and green growth, where Jaishankar expressed optimism that the two countries could collaborate on climate-friendly technologies and infrastructure.<\/p>\n
He concluded by expressing hope for stronger trade ties between India and Germany, adding that a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union would greatly support that goal. As India and Germany celebrate a quarter-century of strategic partnership, Jaishankar\u2019s visit underscored a mutual commitment to build a future based on shared values, security cooperation, and economic progress.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
May 27 \u2013 India\u2019s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has reaffirmed the country\u2019s strong position on counterterrorism in the wake of the recent Pahalgam terror attack and praised Germany for its early and unequivocal support for India\u2019s right to self-defence. He was speaking at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) during his official […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115618\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}