There is no other example like the Indo-US friendship, Henry Kissinger

New Delhi: “The United States and India were adversaries during the 1971 Bangladesh war. But after that, both these countries adopted a parallel approach on economic and security issues. The seeds of cooperation between these two countries were sown during this period and today there is no other example like the Indo-US friendship,” Architect of the US foreign policy, Henry Kissinger said. This statement from this senior US statesman, aged 96, is sending a message to the world that the Indo-US strategic cooperation is scaling new heights.

Since 2007, the JP Morgan International council meeting was held in India for the first time. Along with Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, former British Prime Minister Tony Blaire and former Australian Prime Minister John Howard have arrived in India for the meeting. They visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held discussions.

Given the current developments around the world, this discussion between Prime Minister Modi and these world leaders becomes significant. Prime Minister Modi praised Kissinger saying that Dr Henry Kissinger has contributed immensely to the international politics and on the diplomatic front.

Henry Kissinger delivered a speech at the program organised by the India-US Strategic forum. During the speech, Kissinger presented the background of the Indo-US relations in precise words saying, “India and the US were on the verge of a conflict, during the Bangladesh war. This was the period of the cold war between the United States and Russia. Indian was in a state of transition at that time and India was working towards progress.”

Furthermore, Kissinger said, “Therefore, India adopted a policy to be neutral on the international issues. In 1961 Russia divided Germany into two parts, building the Berlin wall. The stance adopted by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was disheartening for the United States. There was a major difference in the outlook of India and the United States.”

Moreover, he clarified, “But after 1971, India and the United States adopted a parallel approach on the economic and security issues. This resulted in cooperation developing between the two countries. Although this is not officially termed as the foundation, the seed of the Indo-US cooperation was sown during this period.”

Today, the cooperation between India and the United States is based on common objectives. Kissinger made a statement raising eyebrows of analysts around the world, “In today’s times, there is no other example of such friendly cooperation between any two countries of the world.”

In 1972, Kissinger had succeeded in separating communist China, from the USSR and established cooperation with China. The United States had won the cold war, on the strength of his astute statesmanship. This is the reason that Kissinger is known as the Architect of the US foreign policy. Thus, a statement regarding the Indo-US friendship coming from such a senior diplomat raises eyebrows of international analysts. With this, Kissinger has delivered a message to the world that the Indo-US relations have reached a different level. The timing of this statement by Kissinger is also critical. Trade war has been raging between the United States and China, wherein China is challenging the US interests in the Indo-Pacific sector. The Pakistan-China nexus has become a security threat, not only for India but for the entire world along with the Asian continent.

At this time, Kissinger has indicated that the cooperation between democratic countries, India and the United States, has become mandatory for the stability and security of the world. Kissinger underlined the importance of this cooperation, saying that as the leadership of both these countries know their responsibilities, the cooperation is becoming stronger and such cooperation is not seen between any other countries. The relations between the two countries has not been affected, even after India repealed Article 370, withdrawing the special status awarded to Jammu-Kashmir instead what has come to the fore is the US support for India. Therefore, Kissinger has diplomatically stated that the Indo-US friendship will make a major impact soon.