'Trade just one aspect, not halted defence cooperation with US: Foreign Secretary tells Parliamentary panel

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday told a Parliamentary panel that India's relationship with the United States is important and trade is just one aspect of this while insisting that New Delhi has not halted defence cooperation with Washington, sources said.

Sources said Misri also referred to the imposition of penalties for buying Russian oil and emphasised India believes that the US decision is based on flawed assumptions and does not reflect the realities of global energy markets.

Misri along with Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on the 'Current Developments in India's Foreign Policy with Special Reference to US-India Trade Negotiations and Tariffs'.

Tharoor told reporters that the MPs asked around 50 questions to the officials from the Ministries of External Affairs and Commerce during the briefing. 

He said Misri told MPs that India's relationship with the US is important and trade is only one aspect while insisting that New Delhi is in touch with Washington on several subjects. He also said defence cooperation with the US has not been halted, amid reports claimed that India has decided to stop buying military hardware from America.

Sources said Opposition MPs asked whether the tariffs were imposed on India due to New Delhi denying US President Donald Trump credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. 

They also asked about how Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is getting prominence in the US and how he could make statements threatening India of nuclear war. 

"The Foreign Secretary's reply was that we will never be able to take this seriously. India will never tolerate this nuclear blackmail. It was upsetting to see that Munir said such a thing while standing on the soil of a country that is our good friend," Tharoor said.

On the US imposition of penalties for buying Russian oil, the officials told the panel that India is, regrettably, being drawn into a geopolitical contest that is neither of its making nor one in which it seeks to take sides. They said imposing unilateral, punitive measures on third countries only serves to erode trust and distort global trade norms.

Misri is learnt to have told the panel that India remains committed to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue and mutual respect with its partners, including the US.