Deeply concerned about India-China border issue, says US Congressman
Washington: An Indian-American Congressman has urged China to end its military provocations of India and pursue a diplomatic resolution to the tense border standoff in Ladakh.
Raja Krishnamoorthi said this following a classified briefing on the issue by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, of which he is the first and only Indian-American member. The committee's meeting was the first ever on the issue.
"I am deeply concerned about this issue, which is why I authored a bipartisan resolution overwhelmingly approved by the House urging China to end its military provocations of India and to pursue a diplomatic resolution, Krishnamoorthi said.
I will continue to closely monitor this dispute until it is fully resolved, he said.
Earlier Thursday, Lisa Curtis, deputy assistant to the US president, told a top American think-tank the US is encouraged by India's strong yet responsible approach to the Chinese aggression. While always seeking to de-escalate through diplomatic means, India also demonstrated military and economic resolve, she said.
From a bilateral perspective, China's recent actions on Line of Actual Control has further reinforced the importance of the US-India strategic partnership, and our resolve to strengthen the US-India ties as a bulwark against Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, she said.
Throughout this crisis, the United States has provided strong and unambiguous support for India, and our cooperation has grown closer, Curtis said.
Over the past few months, top American lawmakers have expressed their concerns over blatant Chinese incursions.
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Killing of Khamenei cynical violation of human morality, international law: Putin
Moscow (PTI): The killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared in his message to his Tehranian counterpart, the Kremlin said Sunday.
Khamenei was killed in an airstrike in Tehran on Saturday during a joint Israel-US attack on Iran.
“Please accept my deepest condolences in connection with the assassination of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family, committed in a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law,” Putin said in his condolence message.
Putin's condolence message to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was published on the Kremlin portal.
Earlier on Saturday, Russia condemned the US-Israeli joint strikes on Iran qualifying it as an “unprovoked” aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law and called for immediate return to diplomacy.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also described the US and Israeli forces' strikes against the Iranian territory as “a pre-planned” act of aggression against an independent UN member state.
Putin also conducted an emergency meeting of the National Security Council online on Saturday to discuss the emerging situation following the US-Israeli strikes and Iran’s retaliation.
Meanwhile, according to reports more than 2,00,000 Russians are stuck in the region due to closure of their airspaces by Iran and Gulf countries.
The situation in the Middle East and the airport closures have affected not only organised tourists from Russia registered with tour operators, but also those travelling on business trips and independently, state-run TASS news agency reported.
“Approximately 2,00,000 people are unable to leave the UAE or return from vacations in the Maldives and other countries,” Alexey Volkov, president of the National Union of Hospitality Industry, told TASS.
UAE and its airports have become a main hub of access to Russia since the Ukraine conflict and closure of EU air space for civilian air traffic under sanction on Moscow.
“The situation remains complex and unpredictable: drone and missile strikes have hit key tourist locations in the UAE, including its most famous hotels.
“And then there are those who aren't counted as tourists at all, but are travelling around the world for business—the Middle East, for example, is currently a major business hub, home to a significant amount of Russian capital, investment, and business,” Volkov said.
