The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that there’s no immediate plan to evacuate Indian nationals from crisis-hit Ukraine, which is facing the threat of invasion from Russia. At a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India is constantly monitoring the situation on the ground. “It is a live issue, a control room has been set up. We continue to monitor the situation on the ground,” he said.
The MEA added that the focus is and will remain on Indian nationals in Ukraine rather than anything larger. “No immediate evacuation plans. Air bubble restriction has been lifted. Chartered flights are also being encouraged to fly,” Bagchi added.
He also further specified India’s stance on the issue saying that New Delhi’s “position is clear and consistent”. “We have been supportive of a resolution and bringing down of tension under Normandy format and Minsk agreement,” he added.
The Indian embassy in Ukraine had on Wednesday issued a fresh advisory, saying that it continues to function normally to provide all services to its nationals in the country amid an escalation of crisis between Ukraine and Russia.
Releasing a FAQ on Twitter, the embassy in Kyiv said that it continues to monitor the situation on a regular basis and asked the Indian nationals to go through the document. The embassy asked Indians to “maintain calm and not give rise to panic”.
Russia on Thursday announced a new drawdown of military forces from the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula, despite Ukraine’s Western allies meeting similar announcements with scepticism. “Units of the southern military district that ended tactical exercises at training grounds on the Crimean peninsula are returning by rail to their permanent bases,” the defence ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.
Thursday’s announcement is the latest reported drawdown of a Russian military force estimated by the West to be more than 100,000 troops, which Washington had said could be preparing to invade.
Meanwhile, talking about the protests in Canada against Covid-19 vaccine mandates, Bagchi said the Indian high commission has already issued an advisory. On February 9, the Indian High Commission in Canada had issued an advisory for Indian nationals staying there or planning to travel to the country to exercise a “high degree of caution” in the wake of protests by truckers in capital Ottawa and other major Canadian cities.
Reacting to former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s criticism of the government’s foreign policy, the MEA said it is “purely a political message” and not a policy one. In a video message delivered in Punjabi ahead of the Punjab assembly polls, Singh said the government has proved to be a “complete failure” on the foreign policy front. The veteran Congress leader also alleged that the Chinese soldiers have been occupying “our pious land since the last one year but efforts are being made to suppress this issue”.
On this, Bagchi said:”From my perspective, this is purely or clearly a political message, not a policy one. So I think from my position here I would not like to get into that.” “As regards to China, the facts of the matter are clear, I don’t need to reiterate them. We have been discussing the processes of the conversation with China and how the situation has arisen…I think repeatedly we have said that. On the other issues, as I said, a political message clearly not a policy one, so I don’t think I should dwell more into that,” he said. In his remarks, Singh said, “Old friends are constantly alienating from us, while our relations with neighbouring countries are also deteriorating.”
On the controversy over hijab in states like Karnataka, the MEA said that it’s India’s internal matter and any
comment by others on the issue is not welcome and not acceptable. “We have a democratic ethos where we decide matters. The matter is sub-judice,” Bagchi said.
(With agency inputs)
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