New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, emphasizing the need for a diplomatic solution.
Tharoor noted that PM Modi has consistently advocated for diplomacy, citing his statement in Samarkand where he said, “This is not an era of war, and solutions have been found peacefully.”
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, “PM Modi has taken a consistent position that the solution to this conflict has to come through diplomacy. In fact, you may remember his statement in Samarkand in front of President Putin, where he said this is not an era of war and that solutions have been found peacefully. We do seem to be at the beginning of a peace process of some sort.” Tharoor also highlighted the complexity of the peace process, stressing that it involves more than just two leaders talking. He emphasized the need for all parties, including Ukraine, to be involved in the negotiations. “We know that President Trump and President Putin have spoken. We don’t know what the outcome is. A peace process is a more complicated issue than just two leaders talking. There would need to be, first of all, the parties have to be involved. The Ukrainians will have to have a seat at the table. The European Union and the European countries in the neighbourhood, which have been very actively involved in the conflict, will demand and legitimately expect a seat at the table. There may be countries that will be invited to come in from outside to help maintain peace. That becomes the issue,” said the Congress leader. He highlighted that several nuances may come up during these discussions, such as whether the talks are focussed on a ceasefire, a peace settlement, a long-drawn-out process that ends in a durable solution, or an immediate ceasefire with a stalemate on the ground. He said that speculation is “not a very useful exercise” and that “Ultimately, the principal actors are the ones with the guns on the ground and those who supply those guns. Let’s be very honest. They are the ones who can decide the pace of any peace and how far it goes. So let’s wait and see what comes out”. Tharoor also mentioned that India has a long history of peacekeeping and could potentially play a role in the peace process, but only if invited to do so.
“At this stage, I’m not aware of India having been asked to do anything...Until such time as a country like India is invited to be involved, I think we should just watch and wait, but I’m not in the government. I’m not privy to any private conversations that may or may not be happening. All I will say is that we have a very long record in peacekeeping. We’ve sent collectively in the last 75 years, maybe a quarter of a million peacekeepers around the world, 49 operations in different parts, all far away from our country. So we have been available for constructive purposes of peace, but even then, it would all depend on what kind of agreement this is and what is required in policing it,” said Tharoor. India inherited the role of peace negotiator from its legacy of national movement and its policy of Non-aligned movement in the post-World War II era. India has a rich experience of mediating for peacekeeping in international politics. (IANS)
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