India has always shown spine in national interest: Sujatha Singh

December 21, 2013 00:37

Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh has said that India has always followed its own path and shown spine on all major issues since gaining independence in 1947.

Contritely rejecting a media observation that New Delhi has failed to flex its muscles on major issues, Singh said, "India has shown spine ever since it got independence in 1947. We have shown spine in everything we have done, whether in forging our own foreign policy, in taking our own decisions, or it is about Non Alignment or it is about Bangladesh. We have always followed our own path. We have followed it determined by our national interest and by how we see the world. And we continue to do so."

Commenting specifically on the Devyani Khobragade case, Singh said, "It is completely a question about the diplomatic courtesies being extended to an Indian diplomat. You do not treat an Indian diplomat under these circumstances whether it is in the US or anywhere else in the world. We expect our diplomat to be given exactly the same courtesies that we extend to American diplomats and indeed to diplomats from all over the world. That is the numb of the matter."

"I think there is no doubt whatsoever that things are better on ground than they are perceived.

I think there is a perception, and there is a reality. Perception is something that we have to seek to overcome in terms of making sure that it correlates with reality. This is where the Ministry of External Affairs plays an important role in making sure that the message goes across," she added.

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