New Delhi, March 22 (IANS) Former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Veena Sikri emphasised India’s active diplomatic engagement with all parties amid the ongoing Iran-US-Israel tensions, underscoring the country’s pursuit of peace, dialogue, and diplomacy.

Speaking to IANS on India’s foreign policy approach, Sikri said: “India is talking to all sides in the conflict. So of course, that means talking to Saudi Arabia, talking to the UAE, talking to Qatar, and to many others, including Kuwait, France and Oman. And that is the only way in which you can build up a certain opinion, which will then lead you to find a solution that will end the hostilities and bring in dialogue and diplomacy.”

On regional stability, Sikri stressed the importance of coexistence and understanding, particularly in the Gulf region.

“In the UAE, there is talk about finishing Iran and so on, but I think everyone has to realise that living in peace, friendship, and understanding is very important for all, because the people of a country are the most important. Iran, with 93 million people, is a very large country, and as such, it has its own defence, development, and scientific programmes, and it is willing to share them with other countries,” she said.

Sikri also highlighted India’s proactive role in engaging with the Iranian leadership.

“I think this is the second conversation between PM Modi and President Masoud Pezeshkian since the Iran-US-Israel conflict started, and it is a very important indicator that our Prime Minister has excellent relations with all parties to this conflict. He is working strongly in favour of peace, cessation of hostilities, dialogue, and diplomacy, and as part of this, he spoke to the President of Iran. Also, our Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister have been in conversation with Iranian leaders, including the President and Foreign Minister Araghchi,” she added.

Turning to domestic issues, Sikri commented on the Indian socio-cultural ethos and the importance of minorities. Referring to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), she said: “If you talk about the RSS, I remember its chief Mohan Bhagwat saying that Hindutva exists because of minorities. We all have to live together — that is the focus. Minorities are part of what can be described as the Indian ethos, the Indian civilisational ethos, because they have always been there.”

Sikri also criticised the latest report on religious freedom by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), terming it “completely illogical and biased”.

She said: “The Government of India has issued a very strong statement against it because it has no logic at all. You cannot just criticise institutions; they are even criticising government institutions like the R&AW, or the RSS, which is, of course, an NGO. It is a legitimate institution that has been doing a lot of social work.”

–IANS

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