Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Welcome once again. Let's begin this session. The floor is open.
Sidhant: Hi Sir, Sidhant from WION. How does India assess the current situation in Myanmar? We have seen the situation in a border town, where the rebels have been able to capture the town while the military has lost control.
Siddhant: Hi Sir, I am Siddhant from CNN News18. Sir, as per the reports, three of the boys from the state of Uttar Pradesh are allegedly abducted in Myanmar and are forced to work in a fake call centre from Myanmar. Their family has lodged complaint with the local police and we have been told that police has written to Ministry of External Affairs. Have we been able to locate them or what do we know about the three boys? Thank you Sir.
Umashankar: Switzerland mei jo peace initiative hone ja raha hai, uske liye kya Bharat ko koi formal invitation mila hai? Aur agar mila hai toh kya abhi kuch rukh tay hua hai ki Bharat participate karega ya nahi?
[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] The peace initiative, which is going to take place in Switzerland, has India received any formal invitation for it? And if yes, has there been any decision made yet whether India will participate in it or not?
Yeshi: This is Yeshi Seli from the New Indian Express. It's reported that close to 100 Canadian diplomatic staffers have left India over the past couple of months, after 41 were asked to leave when they were to downsize. Does MEA have any comments to make because they say that we didn't have enough support staff, so we had to downsize and the visa services continue as normal. And secondly, what is the status of the 8th Indian naval veteran? When is he likely to return?
Srinjoy: Sir, Times Now. Sir, Jake Sullivan is coming on the 18th or so. At the same time, Kurt Campbell is coming, two very senior American government officials here at the same time. Can you tell us what the issues are, what the agenda is and what our points of view of concern or whatever we will convey to them?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. First, we come to Sidhant here, regarding Myanmar. You know, the security situation in Myanmar remains precarious and deteriorating. You heard about the fighting that is going on, specifically in Rakhine State and other areas. We had issued, some time back, an advisory for our nationals so that they can take due care and we want them to be safe; as also regarding Indians who are travelling to Myanmar so that they can observe proper safety protocols and take care of themselves, while we are there to take care of them, as in the Embassy is there to take care of them. We have also relocated our staff from Sittwe Consulate to Yangon. So that is where the situation lies.
Regarding your question Siddhant, regarding the three boys, our Embassy is seized of the matter. They are working on it and hopefully we will be able to get them out, repatriated and returned. They will come back home. In the past as well, as and when Indian nationals who have had problems in Myanmar, one way or the other, in one profession or the other, whenever they have reached out to the Embassy, we have acted proactively and we have got the help of local authorities and done our best so that our nationals can come back home; or their issue, whatever issue or problem that they have, is resolved. So that is where we are. We will keep you updated on the matter.
Umashankar ji aapka jo sawal Switzerland mei jo shanti varta hai usko lekar hai, iske baare mei pahle bhi maine kaha tha, jahan tak Russia-Ukraine ka sawal hai, usmai hum logon ka rawaiyya, hamara rukh, hamara jo position hai, usse bhali bhanti aap awgat hain. Switzerland mei jo peace varta ki baat hai uspe hum logon ne dekha hai ki ek, is prakar ka pahal kiya ja raha hai, aur is par aage kya nirnay hota hai, Bharat jitne bhi madhyam hain jisse shanti bahal ki ja sakti hai, us par amal karne ke liye, usko dekhrekh karne ke liye hamesha hum log open hain. Toh yahi sthiti bani hui hai is mudde par.
[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Umashankar ji, regarding your question on the peace talks in Switzerland, as I've mentioned before, our stand, our stance, and our position on the Russia-Ukraine issue are well known to you. We have seen that such an initiative is being taken in the form of peace talks in Switzerland, and regarding what decision will be made going forward, India is always open to implement, or supervise any medium through which peace can be restored. So, this has been the position on this matter.
Yeshi, your question was regarding the staff. I understand that the reduction has happened on account of the local staff. It is an administrative matter which you must take to the Canadian side. They will explain as to what are the reasons behind it, etc. As we understand, their visa processing etc., is normal. The functioning is normal. More on that, maybe, possibly, Canadian side could guide you on. On the 8th naval veteran; time and again, from this forum, I have conveyed to you that he has certain requirements to fulfil. As and when those requirements get fulfilled, he will come back. So that is where the story is.
Srinjoy, regarding the two distinguished visitors that you mentioned, their visit will be announced as and when we learn of the visit and obviously we will give you a readout. We will also inform you what the agenda is and what exactly we have on offer as far as India-U.S. talks engaging these two distinguished visitors.
Ileana: Ileana, TASS News Agency. Can I ask you please to repeat the answer on Switzerland conference in English and can I clarify a bit? So, there were media reports that India has received the invitation for the conference. Is it so? And also, a week ago or maybe more, there was also some media report that New Delhi is skeptical over whether a peace summit without Russia's participation will be effective. So what is your position? Is it like this as there were these media reports? Thank you.
Abhishek: Sir, Abhishek this side from CNN News18. My question is regarding this latest situation that is getting tense between Iran and Israel and there are reports that both sides are preparing for some major conflict this time. Have you issued any advisory to Indians who have been living in that region because there are certain countries which are trying to discourage their citizens from travelling to that side?
Manas: This is Manas from PTI. Just a little clarification. You said the people working in Indian Consulate in Sittwe were relocated to Yangon. Is it because of the precarious situation, security situation? And what about our Consulate in Mandalay in fact? Are we also planning to just evacuate them to Yangon or back to India? Thank you.
Akhilesh: Sir, I am Akhilesh Suman, independent journalist. A new government is there in Pakistan and there has been no major terrorist incident, cross-border terrorism from that side since quite long time. So has there been any formal contact between India and Pakistan at diplomatic level and do you think that the relations should be normalized in coming days?
Livia: I am Livia Rodriguez from Prensa Latina. Last Friday, the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador was raided by Ecuadorian security forces to kidnap former Vice President Jorge Glas. As Mexico is a member country of the G20 and India belongs to the troika of the current Presidency led by Brazil, we would like to know the position of India on the incident in the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador. Thank you.
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: So Ileana, regarding your question on the Swiss peace proposal; in English, we have consistently maintained that we encourage negotiated settlement of Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. That has been our consistent support for. In this spirit, we have also participated in several mechanisms under Ukraine's peace formula, including the Copenhagen format. As far as the Switzerland peace meeting that you referred to, we understand that it will be hosted in the near future, sometime soon, a high level global peace conference is being planned. We remain open to exploring all ideas that could help achieve early restoration of peace. So that is where we are on…
Ileana: What about the invitation, you have or not?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: I don't have any information on that, but I will come back to you and update you in regard to the invitation.
Abhishek, regarding your question on the situation in the Middle-East, in Iran and Israel, etc, we have so far not issued any advisory, but we are seized of the matter. And hopefully, whatever action is required to be taken will be taken as per the situation. Earlier, you saw when one death happened, in Israel, of an Indian national who was working in a farming settlement. Thereafter, we had issued an advisory for all Indian nationals to take due caution while they are in the country.
Manas, your question regarding Sittwe; Sittwe, of course, we have relocated our staff to Yangon because the situation in Sittwe is precarious. As far as Mandalay is concerned, our Consulate is fully functional, I would say. There's absolutely no issue there. It remains open. It remains fully functional.
Akhilesh, your question was regarding Pakistan and the new government. In the last Presser and a week before, we had some discussion. There were questions on similar lines where we talked about the conflicting messages we were getting, one message from a particular dignitary, then another message from the Spokesperson. So it was in conflicting nature. Earlier to that, you saw our Prime Minister also sent some greetings when the Prime Minister assumed office. So we are looking at all these messages that are coming from Pakistan. And we saw there was some contradiction between the two. So we'll see how things unfold.
Regarding…Prensa Latina, we have very good relations both with Ecuador and with Mexico. And we hope that the two countries can come together and resolve their differences. Thank you.
Vishal: Sir, main Vishal hoon Zee News se. Mera sawal Elon Musk ke tweet ko lekar hai, unhone apne post mei likha hai ki Pradhan Mantri se Bharat mei woh mulakat karne wale hain. Koi sambhavit tarikh aur kya iski jankari aap logon ke paas hai?
[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I'm Vishal from Zee News. My question is regarding Elon Musk's tweet, wherein he mentioned that he will be meeting the Prime Minister in India. Do you have any expected date or what information you have on it?
Sudhi: Sir Sudhi Ranjan from Bloomberg, associating with the Musk's question; and also, we've seen some very conciliatory statements on China coming from the top leadership in India. And we have seen a similar statement also coming from the Chinese Foreign Office. Is there a movement in the discussions between India and China to resolve the border issue that has been ongoing for the last four years?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Vishal aapka sawal, maine bhi media ke madhyam se dekha hai ki Elon Musk Bharat aa rahe hain. Uske aage ki jankari mere pass nahi hai, kya tithi hai, kab aayenge, yeh toh humne bhi media ke madhyam se dekha hai. Toh jaise hi humko pata chalega, toh hum aapko avgat karayenge, kis prakar ka unka program hai, kahan aane wale hain, kab aane wale hain.
[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Vishal, on your question, I have also seen through the media that Elon Musk is coming to India. I don't have any further information about it, such as the date or when he will arrive. We have also seen this through the media. As soon as we have any information, we will inform you about the details of his program, where is he coming, and when is he coming.
Sudhi, Your question regarding Mr. Musk, I don't have any definite answer on his visit. We have also seen some reports in this regard. Hopefully, as and when we have more details and if we have any details to share, we will do that with you. In regard to China, I would like to convey to you that the Prime Minister has spoken on this subject. Similarly, the government on several occasions has made its position very clear. So that is where it remains as far as our relations with China is concerned.
Kallol: This is Kallol from the Hindu. My question is regarding certain developments that have been taking place in Afghanistan in the last few days. "The Taliban Justice Ministry” has come up with some solutions for the property problems that the minorities were facing and now they are saying that property rights are being restored to the Hindus and the Sikhs, and a few Sikhs have already gone back including a former Member of Parliament. So, how does India view this and is there an opinion that you may offer on this?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Like you, Kallol, we have also seen some reports. If the Taliban administration has decided to restore property rights to Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan, I mean, who are their nationals, of course it is something which is a positive development. That is how we look at it.
Milan: Milan from India Today. Sir, we have been witnessing recent spate of attacks on Indian students in the US. Having said that you have spoken about it earlier also from this forum, but would like an update on what is or what are the likely actions that India is taking to send out a strong message that Indian students should not be attacked.
Siddhant: Sir, I also want you to, may be, give us a figure. How many of these are Indian nationals and how many are American citizens? That is something that if you can provide us some kind of a break up. Thank you.
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Regarding very unfortunate deaths of Indian students last week or two weeks back, two of them passed away. While the death of both our nationals, students is under investigation, we, the Consulate has reached out and they have extended all possible help. Both these cases, the investigation is on, so hopefully we will come to know more about the reasons for it. Since January, I think there are some 10 odd Indian students who have passed away. In two cases I had told you earlier, in one case it was a case of homicide which was registered against a person who was a vagrant. That was most unfortunate of Vivek Saini and thereafter there was a case in which a person was shot at. So these are two cases which are being investigated from the point of view of law and order and we are pushing very hard. Our Consulates and our Mission in United States, they have strengthened their student outreach so that they can convey to the students how they should take care of themselves, what should be done and what all help, the Consulate and the Embassy can provide, as and when required. But let me tell you that several of these deaths have happened, it has not happened because of one reason, they are multi-causal in nature. So I would urge you that there are several other issues beyond justice or law and order matter which also needs to be looked into. There are some community issues also. There are cases which have happened on account of suicide and other related, mental illness related issues. That is why we want to reach out to the student community and provide them comfort. We also have a large Indian student community, upwards of 3,00,000 in the United States.
Manish: Ji main Manish Jha hoon TV9 Bharatvarsh se. 4 April ko videsh mantralaya ne ek bayaan jaari kar ke Israel aur Iran mei shanti bahali ko lekar apni baat kahi hui thi, lekin dekhne mei aa raha hai ki bahot saare aise desh jo ki Iran ya Israel ke dost hai, woh shanti ke liye aapeal kar bhi rahain hain, toh kya kyuki Bharat ke sambandh Iran aur Israel donon se hain, toh kya Bharat sarkar ki taraf se bhi appeal ki jayegi phone karke ya contact kar ke unke videsh mantralaya ya videsh mantri ko?
[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Manish Jha from TV9 Bharatvarsh. On April 4, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement regarding restoration of peace between Israel and Iran. However, it is being seen that several countries that are friends with Iran or Israel are also appealing for peace. Since India has relations with both Iran and Israel, will the Indian government also make an appeal by calling or contacting their Foreign Ministries or Foreign Ministers?
Speaker: Sir this is [Inaudible]. A civic bilateral body from Vietnam recently visited India and MEA hosted it. Is there any outcome or any reciprocatory visit expected?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: So, regarding your question on Iran and Israel, our position has been very clear. We have a certain position on Israel, on the ongoing developments there. In regard to Iran also, we had the visit of our External Affairs Minister to that country. We discussed all the issues that are involved in our relationship including connectivity, including several other aspects of our bilateral relations.
Regarding your question on Vietnam, we had this meeting here. Several issues that form part of India-Vietnam relationship were discussed and this would help to further strengthen our partnership which spans a wide range of areas including people to people partnership, trade, commerce.
Speaker: Any reciprocatory visit?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: At this point in time, we had a visit. We welcome the visit. We will look into a reciprocal visit as and when that would be required.
Kadambini: Kadambini Sharma from NDTV. Sir, would there be any MEA comment on Justin Trudeau mentioning Hardeep Nijjar while testifying in front of Enquiry Commission?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Prime Minister Trudeau's comment on whatever he had to before his Commission, that is his part. As far as the interference issue is concerned, on that, we had made our point very clear that the allegations then, sometime back we had said, are baseless. It has no value and it is not our policy to interfere in democratic processes anywhere.
Speaker 2: The protesters in Nepal have been demanding for this monarchy to come back and these protests are actually picking up in Nepal. Have you been taking note of this entire development that is happening because Nepal happens to be a very close neighbor to ours?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: We have very good relations, very strong relations with Nepal but what you are talking about is something that forms part of the internal landscape of Nepal. As far as the relationship is concerned, we are doing very well on each and every front. There are several new development projects, you would have seen, which have been recently inaugurated as well. So we are very optimistic about partnership and friendship with Nepal.
Thank you very much. Thank you for your participation.