NEW DELHI: The Indian government has strongly rejected the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement issued by the European Union and Pakistan during EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas's visit to Islamabad this week. The statement said that those who have no locus standi on such matters should refrain from making any comment on them.
According to the joint statement, Pakistan and the EU briefed each other on Jammu and Kashmir and Russia's war against Ukraine, respectively, expressing support for the peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter.
"We categorically reject such unwarranted references in the joint press communique on matters internal to India. The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Kallas's visit to Pakistan took place amid Islamabad's ongoing efforts to play the peacemaker in the US-Iran conflict and also India's own efforts to scale up ties with Brussels in the past few years, which culminated in the India-EU free trade agreement. Apart from the US, European powers like France and Italy have backed Pakistan's mediation efforts in West Asia.
Kallas described Pakistan as a major regional power and an important partner for the EU. "I commended Pakistan for its key role in facilitating the US-Iran talks," said Kallas, who met both Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir.
