India does not believe that the efficacy or the quality of democracy should be decided by others, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, observing that each country approaches democracy, human rights, and good governance from their history, tradition, and societal context.
“We spoke over the last two days of our commitment to practicing and furthering democracy, human rights, and good governance," Jaishankar told reporters during a joint news conference with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Each country approaches the issues from its history, tradition, and societal context, Jaishankar said.
“Our yardstick for judgment are the integrity of the democratic processes, the respect and credibility that they command with the people, and the nondiscriminatory delivery of public goods and services. India does not believe that the efficacy or, indeed, the quality of democracy should be decided by (others),” he said.
“As the world's two biggest democracies, we're also committed to an enduring project, as our founders put it, of striving to form a more perfect union,” Blinken said in his opening remarks.
“This is a project for both of us," Blinken said.
He said the two nations need to work together to show that they can meet their people's needs.
"We must continue to hold ourselves, both of us, as well as our fellow democracies, to our core values, including respect for universal human rights like freedom of religion and belief, and freedom of expression, which makes our democracies stronger,” Blinken said.
Published 27 September 2022, 21:17 IST