Covid is a calamity that requires 'last resort', says Jaishankar

In an online session on the "Future of India-EU relations" on Wednesday, Portuguese foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva said that Europe is philosophically against waiving intellectual property rights and this should be the last resort. In his reply Indian foreign affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar said the pandemic has presented a situation that needs this "last resort". The Portuguese minister said that the European Union is deliberating the waiver proposal brought by India and South Africa and the EU is also waiting for a proposal from the United States. But no concrete proposal has been presented before the EU in the right framework," the minister said.

Jaishankar said that Europe is key in this proposal as many supply channels go through Europe. "When India and South Africa brought up the proposal, we were speaking for the larger global interest. We believe others too share that thinking," Jaishankar said. Silva mentioned that China is a challenge and not a threat but on human rights issues, the EU considers India, not China, as its partner. Europe can't be silent on China squeezing domestic space in Hong Kong, its aggression in the South China Sea, its relations with Taiwan, or what China is doing in Xinjiang. But it is also a partner as without China the global targets of the Paris Agreement will not be fulfilled, Portugal foreign minister said. Jaishankar said. India's situation is very different from Europe and shares its border with China. Jaishankar also thanked the Portugal foreign minister for the remarkable six months of India-EU ties.