UN INTERFERENCE LIMITED, BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS ON KASHMIR ISSUE ESCALATING, GERMANY's POSITION REMAINS UNCHANGED: ENVOY

Days after Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, sparked a controversy by calling advocating for United Nations' engagement in the Jammu and Kashmir situation, Germany's envoy to India, Philipp Ackermann, stated that the bilateral approach is the best course of action and that the international body has a very limited role to play in this matter.

He emphasised that Germany's stance on the Kashmir problem has not changed. First of all, I must add that the reactions from the Indian side, the Indian media, and the Indian public have surprised us quite a bit, he said.

Recently, the German foreign minister said, "Germany also has a role and responsibility with regard to the situation in Kashmir," during a press conference held in Islamabad with Pakistan's foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto. "Therefore, we support intensively the engagement of the United Nations to find a peaceful solution in the regions,” he said.

The comment sparked a sharp response from India, which said: “All serious and conscientious members of the global community have a role and responsibility to call out international terrorism, especially of a cross-border nature. The Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has borne the brunt of such a terrorist campaign for decades. This continues till now. Foreign nationals have been victims there, as well as in other parts of India. The UN Security Council and FATF are still pursuing Pakistan-based terrorists involved in the horrific 26/11 attacks. “

When questioned about whether the German foreign minister's comments might affect the two countries' relations, the German ambassador to India responded, “I hope it hasn’t actually and that is why I want to make a statement very clearly that the foreign minister had no intention of stirring any problems with relations, I think we feel India is a huge partner and a big friend of Germany.”

Ackermann talked about India's stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the UN resolution on Wednesday that condemned Russia's attempts to annex four regions of Ukraine, in which India abstained. He said, “First of all, I have to say it was quite a success yesterday. We had 143 votes condemning the eastern Ukrainian regions by Russia. That’s a very good success. We have seen 35 abstentions, among them India but we have very carefully listened to what the Indian representative in the UN said and there you will find a very clear statement by the Indian government. I think that shows there is also a concern on the Indian side about what is happening in Ukraine.“

India has recently been identified as having the fastest-growing economy for 2022 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In response to the current trend, he stated, "We are very impressed with the latest figures India has put on the table, one of the best-growing countries in the region if not worldwide, and that has also given us the huge opportunity to invest in India so I think that's a huge opportunity for us and also Indian business in Germany."