Interesting interview of Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir by NDTV; Includes question on Jamal Khashoggi
Interesting interview of Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir by NDTV, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6lolKKm2LU, around 18 mins, published on 20th Feb. 2019
Over the past few days as I followed this visit by the Saudi Crown Prince and his team, I have been surprised to hear how close Saudi and India relationship has become. There is a plan for joint naval exercises and a defense manufacturing tie-up! And, of course, there is a lot of investment and trade relationship.
As an Indian citizen and resident, I am supportive of close India - Saudi Arabia ties, and I am quite impressed by what I have heard from both the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir about this relationship. Al-Jubeir speaks excellent English and is very articulate. He says that our relationship is a relationship between civilizations over thousands of years before we became modern nations (Saudi Arabia and India). That's the truth. India, especially the Western coastline of India, and the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi, Yemen, UAE ...) have influenced each other's civilizations over centuries, and continue to do so now.
Towards the end of the interview, the NDTV interviewer raises the Jamal Khashoggi question. Al-Jubeir gives the official Saudi answer. The interviewer talks about Western media not being convinced about it. Al-Jubeir talks about Oliver North Iran Contra scandal and Abu Gharib excesses and the issue of whether top USA administration people then (President, Secretary of Defense etc) knew about it, and agrees with official USA view that they did NOT know about it.
My own view is that we have to go by official government views on this, even if we feel that it may not be the full truth. I mean, what else can one do? This is the reality of life. Life has to move on, and countries have to deal with each other via the rulers of the countries, democratically elected or through other ways like being established as a king.
Over the past few days as I followed this visit by the Saudi Crown Prince and his team, I have been surprised to hear how close Saudi and India relationship has become. There is a plan for joint naval exercises and a defense manufacturing tie-up! And, of course, there is a lot of investment and trade relationship.
As an Indian citizen and resident, I am supportive of close India - Saudi Arabia ties, and I am quite impressed by what I have heard from both the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir about this relationship. Al-Jubeir speaks excellent English and is very articulate. He says that our relationship is a relationship between civilizations over thousands of years before we became modern nations (Saudi Arabia and India). That's the truth. India, especially the Western coastline of India, and the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi, Yemen, UAE ...) have influenced each other's civilizations over centuries, and continue to do so now.
Towards the end of the interview, the NDTV interviewer raises the Jamal Khashoggi question. Al-Jubeir gives the official Saudi answer. The interviewer talks about Western media not being convinced about it. Al-Jubeir talks about Oliver North Iran Contra scandal and Abu Gharib excesses and the issue of whether top USA administration people then (President, Secretary of Defense etc) knew about it, and agrees with official USA view that they did NOT know about it.
My own view is that we have to go by official government views on this, even if we feel that it may not be the full truth. I mean, what else can one do? This is the reality of life. Life has to move on, and countries have to deal with each other via the rulers of the countries, democratically elected or through other ways like being established as a king.
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