India’s Envoy to China Rejects Comparison with Pakistan’s Iran Mediation Role
India's Ambassador to China, Vikram Doraiswami, has dismissed comparisons between India's global role and Pakistan's recent mediation efforts in the Iran crisis, stating that New Delhi's involvement in an already crowded field would not have particularly benefited the country.
Speaking at the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, Doraiswami responded to a question about Pakistan's mediation in the Iran crisis and India's broader global leadership aspirations. He said, “The question about mediation that you’re talking about, this is for individual countries to decide whether that adds value to their larger national position. We have done our bit of that in the past. I don’t see how, at this point of time in what is already a crowded field, that would benefit us in any particular way.”
The ambassador noted that both India and China, as major powers, had not offered mediation services in conflicts such as Ukraine or Iran. He argued that comparing India with Pakistan was unfair, given the differences in economic size and global integration. “Our integration with the globe is at a level not matched by most countries,” Doraiswami said, citing economic ties with Europe and ASEAN, as well as India's contributions to peace and security.
Doraiswami’s remarks come amid discussions on India’s role in global diplomacy. He emphasised that countries should be assessed based on their actual contributions to the international system rather than on selective comparisons.
