MEA rejects Peter Navarro's remarks on India, calls them "inaccurate and misleading"

India on Friday dismissed comments made by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal calling them "inaccurate and misleading statements." Navarro, in an interview with Bloomberg Television last week, had alleged, "India is helping feed the Russian war machine. I mean Modi's war, because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi." Rejecting at a weekly briefing, Jaiswal said, "We have seen the inaccurate and misleading statements made by Navarro, and obviously, we reject them." On ties with Washington, Jaiswal underlined the importance of the bilateral relationship. "We have also spoken about it earlier. This relationship between the United States and India is very important for us. Both our countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership, which is anchored in our shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties," he said. "This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges. We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to, and we hope that the relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests," he added. Jaiswal also highlighted ongoing cooperation between the two countries, stating, "As you would have seen, I would draw your attention to a joint military exercise that is underway in Alaska. A few days ago, there was a 2+2 inter-sessional meeting... Talks between both countries are going on, and we are committed to strengthening our partnership." On trade issues, the MEA spokesperson affirmed that India "continues to remain engaged with the US side on trade issues." Further, MEA responded to concerns surrounding the H-1B visa program, emphasising its importance in fostering a robust partnership between India and the United States. "On H-1B visa, look, so the mobility partnership between India and the United States is an important pillar of this relationship. It supports our technology collaboration. It supports our economic collaboration. It supports several other things that are happening in the space of innovation, new and emerging technologies, and financial collaboration," he said. Jaiwal also noted that India "values it, and it is something that brings mutual benefit to both sides." "While it creates space for our skilled people to work in the United States, it also adds a lot of value to the competitiveness and productivity of American enterprises. It is something that is in mutual benefit. We continue to engage with the United States on mobility issues and see how best we can drive this partnership," the ministry added.