Our help unconditional: India to G-77 nations

United Nations, November 13

India’s assistance to other nations does not create indebtedness and is “without conditionalities”, a top Indian diplomat has said, asserting that the country's cooperation would be guided by the development priorities of its partners.

Dig at china’s debt-trap diplomacy

In a veiled reference to China's loans that have led to debt-traps in some countries, India's Permanent Representative to the UN TS Tirumurti said India’s “assistance does not create indebtedness and is without conditionalities”.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN TS Tirumurti, on Thursday reiterated India’s commitment to work with developing partners towards a resilient and sustainable recovery from Covid.

“In India's development cooperation, we will be guided by our partners' development priorities. Our assistance does not create indebtedness and is without conditionalities," he said at the 44th Annual Meeting of the G-77 Foreign Ministers on Thursday, in a veiled reference to China's loans which have led to debt-traps in some countries.

In an indirect reference to China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla early this month warned against a global order that gave in to "skewed" arrangements without due consideration for "reliable, secure and sustainable" supply chains. “We need to impress on our developed partners to do more and show the necessary urgency. The pandemic cannot be used as an excuse to not fulfil their commitments or to undermine environmental conventions,” said Tirumurti. — PTI

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