USA Advised to refrain from using sanction word against India : it may backfire badly for USA
Dated : 05 Jan 2021 (IST)
Even after India dismissed CAATSA completely and point blank admonished the USA, now and then still the American media, the American politicians and few others keep threatening India with possible sanctions. Well it may backfire for USA so badly that they will not know how to get out of it.
India is going ahead with the multi-billion dollar deal to purchase the Russia-made S-400 air defence system as it is required for our missile defence. USA may keep jumping up and down it will have no effect. Now a US Congressional report has warned that it may evoke CAATSA.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) – an independent and bipartisan research wing of US Congress – in its latest report to Congress, said India is “eager for more technology-sharing and co-production initiatives, while the United States urges more reforms in India’s defence offsets policy and higher Foreign Direct Investment caps in its defence sector.”
Prepared for the members of the Congress for them to take informed decisions, the report went on to warn that “India’s multi-billion dollar deal to purchase the Russia-made S-400 air defence system may trigger US sanctions on India under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.”
Well why doesn’t US Congress goes ahead and do it, as they had done in 1998 after the nuclear test ? The Indian defence offset policy us for India and no Country can ask for any “ reform “ in it, it just sounds funny, that some seller is trying to dictate to the buyer who does the buying through hard Cash. Those days of Gun Boat Diplomacy or Coercion are over. With respect to India, it did not work even in 1971.
It is very clear thatsuch HICCUP” reports are published from time to time to frighten others. Imagine trying to frighten India with such repirts. To cover their backside, it has been cleverly added that the CRS’ reports are neither official reports of the US Congress nor reflect the view of Congressmen. They are prepared by independent experts for the lawmakers to take informed decisions.
In October 2018, India had signed a 37500 crores deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems,. India just ignored a warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions. In 2019, India made the first tranche of payment of around 6000 crore to Russia for the missile systems.
The S-400 is the most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. Last month, Russia had said that implementation of its ongoing defence deals with India, including the supply of a batch of S-400 missile systems, is advancing well notwithstanding irresponsible talks of US sanctions.
At a press conference in New Delhi last month, Russian ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev criticised the US sanctions on Turkey for procuring the S-400 missile systems under a $2.5 billion deal, saying Moscow does not recognise such unilateral actions.
“We do not recognise or welcome unilateral sanctions as a language or tool or instrument of interstate or international relations, other than those applied by the UN Security Council,” he said.
As far as India is concerned, we share the same platform. India’s position is also crystal clear. No sanctions are acknowledged other than those imposed by the UN Security Council. USA is advised to mend its ways and utterances or it may backfire adversely on them only.
