U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said here on Wednesday that Washington did not intend to oppose business ties between India and Iran.
He was addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
“It’s not our objective to harm the Iranian people; nor is it our objective to interfere with legitimate business activities going on with other businesses in Europe, India; or agreements that are in place to promote economic development,” he said.
Mr. Tillerson said U.S. opposition to Iran was limited to Tehran’s “destabilising activities” in the wider West Asian region and sought help from countries with ties with that country to push it to stop its regional activities.
Dialogue as a means
Indicating that the U.S. might have to consider dialogue as a means of resolving the North Korean issue, Ms. Swaraj said, “India’s trade relation with North Korea is minimal, and the Indian embassy in Pyongyang is very small. But we do have an embassy. I have told Secretary Tillerson that some of your friendly countries should maintain embassies there so that some channels of communication remain open. On many occasions, you may have to talk to them to resolve issues through dialogue so at least let one country that you consider friendly maintain its embassy. I think he has understood and appreciated our position to maintain our embassy in Pyongyang.”
The discussions also covered the H1B visa issue, and Ms. Swaraj noted that some Bills pending with the U.S. Congress may harm skilled professionals from India. “I have again raised the issue because in view of the close India-U.S. ties, skilled professionals of India expect that they should not be harmed,” she said explaining that India has engaged both the Congress and the White House to prevent any negative step on this issue.
The U.S. Secretary of State addressed questions on U.S. President Donald Trump’s new South Asia policy after holding detailed talks with Ms. Swaraj.
