Washington Must Respect India's Right to Self-Defense and Zero Tolerance on Terror, Says Antony Blinken

Former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Saturday that the United States must respect India's right to defend itself and maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. Speaking in New Delhi during a conversation with Jawed Ashraf, chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation, Mr. Blinken described Washington's ties with New Delhi and Islamabad as fundamentally different.

Global Force

Mr. Blinken called India a global force and noted that shared interests between Washington and New Delhi are global in nature. In contrast, he described U.S. relations with Pakistan as regional, while pointing out that counter-terrorism remains an area for cooperation with Islamabad. He stated that the U.S. approach must support India's responses to attacks and diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Strategic Shift

Tracing the bilateral ties over recent decades, Mr. Blinken noted a shift from estrangement to a strategic partnership built on shared interests and people-to-people connections. He highlighted emerging technology cooperation, including space, quantum technology, and artificial intelligence, as the next step for both nations. Regarding India's historical ties with Russia, he acknowledged their deep history and said Washington does not expect New Delhi to end that partnership.

Context

Diplomatic relations between the United States and India have grown significantly stronger over recent years through strategic dialogues and defense pacts. Such high-level remarks by former senior officials often highlight the ongoing evolution of geopolitical alliances in South Asia.