Ahead of Blinken’s visit, US acting assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs Dean Thompson said last week that both human rights and democracy would be raised during the secretary of state’s engagements in India.
“With respect to the human rights and democracy question, yes, you’re right; I will tell you that we will raise it, and we will continue that conversation because we firmly believe that we have more values in common on those fronts than we don’t,” Thompson said in response to a question during a news briefing on July 23.
“And we believe India is going to be a really important part of continuing those conversations and building strong efforts on those fronts in partnership as we go forward,” he added.
People familiar with planning for Blinken’s visit said on condition of anonymity on Sunday that India, as a long-standing pluralistic society, is open to engaging those who recognise the value of diversity.
“Issues such as human rights and democracy are universal and extend beyond a particular national or cultural perspective. India is proud of its achievements in both domains and is always glad to share experiences,” one of the people cited above said.
The Indian side will also raise global issues such as political and cultural rebalancing, especially New Delhi’s support for a multi-polar, democratic and diverse world order. The Indian side expects international conversations on these issues to reflect this evolution.
“We believe in equity and fairness, whether in development, climate change or global decision-making,” the person cited above said.
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