There is no such thing as 'strategic autonomy' in times of conflict: US envoy

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 WashingtonIn 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 dont play by peaceful rules their war machines cannot continue unabatedThe US envoy said that is something the US needs to know and that India needs to know together His comments come in the backdrop of multiple ongoing conflicts in the world including in Ukraine and IsraelGaza Garcettis 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 RussiaPrime Minister Narendra Modi was in Russia for two days for the 22nd IndiaRussia 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 expertsI 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 dont care what title we put to it but we will need to know that we are trusted friends brothers and sisters colleagues that in times of need be acting together Garcetti saidThe envoy in his address described IndiaUS ties as deep ancient and increasingly broad but urged to not take this relationship for granted Underling whole areas of cooperation including in defence the joint military exercises and Indias naval prowess in the western Indian Ocean in combating piracy and other challenges he envisioned the US and India together as an unstoppable force for good in the world He described the USIndia defence partnership as one which stands among the most consequential in the worldWe dont just see our future in India and India doesnt just see its future with the US but the world can see great things in our relationship In other words there are countries on the sidelines hoping this relationship works Because if it works it doesnt just become a counterbalance it becomes a place where we are developing our weapons together integrating our training together Garcetti saidIn times of emergencies whether that be a natural disaster or god forbid a humancaused war the US and India will be a powerful ballast against the waves that will sweep over Asia and other parts of the world he assertedAnd I think we all know that we are interconnected in the world no war is distant anymore And we must not just stand for peace we must take concrete actions to make sure those who dont play by peaceful rules that their war machines cannot continue unabated And that is something the US needs to know and that India needs to know together the envoy saidIn the past three years we have witnessed countries which have ignored sovereign borders I dont have to remind how important borders are its a central principle to peace in our world he added In his address the US envoy also mentioned about humanitarian emergencies that have been seen along Indias northern border East China Sea the Straits of Taiwan and the Middle EastThe American ambassador to India underlined that he had come to the event not to teach preach or lecture but always to listen in and learn and remind of their commonly shared values That when we stand on those principles and stand together even in difficult times we are friends that we can show that principles are the guiding light of peace in our world And together the worlds two largest democracies can enhance the security the stability of our region he saidUnderlining various areas of commonalty in IndiaUS and its potential the envoy said India sees its future with America America sees its future with India Any objective observer will see that We see it in our commerce we see it in our people and certainly we see it in our security and future he addedIt is important for us as Americans and as Indians the more we put into this relationship the more we will get out of it The more we insist on kind of cynical calculations in the place of trusted relationships the less we will get the envoy said He said the USIndia relationship is wide and it is deeper than it has ever been but it is not yet deep enoughBecause if we only look inward neither the US nor India in the IndoPacific will keep up with the pace of threats today he said adding be they state actors on your border that we are also concerned about in this region and other regions be that climate change and the associated threats that US sees in this countryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability 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