India Rejects EU-Pakistan Joint Communique Reference to Jammu and Kashmir
New Delhi: India on Tuesday (June 2) rejected a reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint communique issued by the European Union and Pakistan, saying the matter was internal to India and that those with "no locus standi" should refrain from commenting on it.
India's response came after the joint communique issued following the EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad on Monday referred to Jammu and Kashmir.
The communique stated that "the Pakistan side briefed on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir" and that "the EU side briefed on Russia's war against Ukraine". It added that "both sides expressed support to peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter".
Asked about the reference at the weekly media briefing on Tuesday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India "categorically" rejected the remarks.
"We categorically reject such unwarranted references in the Joint Press Communique on matters internal to India. The UTs [Union territories] of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India. Those who have no locus standi on such matters should desist from making any comment on them," he said.
The communique was issued after the eighth EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, co-chaired by EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Kaja Kallas and Pakistan deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar. According to the document, the two sides reviewed bilateral ties under the 2019 EU-Pakistan Strategic Engagement Plan and discussed cooperation on trade, investment, counter-terrorism, migration, Afghanistan and regional issues.
In a post on X, Kallas had described Pakistan as a “major regional power” and commended it for “its key role in facilitating US-Iran talks”.
The reference to Kashmir in the joint document comes despite a period of intensified engagement between New Delhi and Brussels.
Earlier this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa travelled to New Delhi for the India-EU Summit and were the chief guests at India's Republic Day celebrations, marking the first time that leaders of the European Union had attended the event in that capacity.
The summit produced what both sides described as a landmark expansion of ties. India and the EU concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement after two decades of talks and signed their first Security and Defence Partnership, covering maritime security, cyber threats, counter-terrorism and defence industrial cooperation.
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