US envoy to India Eric Garcetti raises G20 in J-K to defend envoy’s PoK visit

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, October 5

India has raised its concerns with the US side regarding its Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome visiting Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for an unusually long six days.

For diplomatic parity with Canada: India

Confirming reports that it has sought a reduction in Canada’s diplomatic staff strength here, the MEA on Thursday said it is engaged in discussions with Ottawa on the issue of ensuring parity in its diplomatic presence in India.

India has also raised the matter about subsequent observations by US envoy to India Eric Garcetti likening Blome’s visit with that of US representatives visiting J&K for G20 meetings.

“Our position on the entire UT of J&K being an integral part of India is well known. We would like to urge the international community to respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday at a media briefing when asked about Blome’s visit and Garcetti’s remarks regarding the visit.

MEA concerned over remarks

It’s not my place to react to US envoy in Pakistan but I know we have obviously had parts of our delegation in J&K during the G20 as well. Eric Garcetti, US envoy to india

Blome’s visit, which sources had then argued was private, was followed by that of UK Labour MP Andrew Gwynne, who called for a plebiscite in J&K. Blome’s official nature of the visit came out after a video emerged of him interacting with Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Sadia Danish and legislator Rani Sanam Faryad. “I think I would just repeat what I have been saying about visitors. We would request the international community to respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity. You know our position on the areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and how we look at the entire UT as an integral part of India. That would be my comment on India,” Bagchi said. US envoy to India Eric Garcetti further stoked the controversy when he likened Blome’s visit to PoK to his delegations visiting Kashmir for G20 meetings. “It’s not my place to react to the US Ambassador in Pakistan but I know he’s been there before and we have obviously had parts of our delegation in J&K during the G20 as well,” he observed. “We don’t think the two situations are equivalent,” said Bagchi when asked about the attempted equivalence by Garcetti.

US junks ‘ties may worsen’ report

The US embassy has dismissed an American media report that said Eric Garcetti had told his India team that relations between India and the US could get worse over Canada row.

Meanwhile, the US embassy here has dismissed an American media report that said Garcetti had told his India team that relations between India and the US could get worse for a time because of New Delhi’s diplomatic spat with Canada. The embassy said Garcetti was working to “deepen the partnership between the people and governments of the US and India”.

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