Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkēvičs is the second longest-serving foreign minister in the European Union. He has also been closely associated with NATO. In India on a bilateral visit, he found time for a conversation with Pranay Sharma on Iran, South Asia and recent developments in the EU. Excerpts:
You had a meeting with your Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar, did you discuss Kashmir?
No, we did not discuss the issue specifically. We discussed regional security issues, particularly, the situation in Iran and Iraq and its impact on the region. But we talked about bilateral issues, particularly, trade.
What about the current state of India-Pakistan relations, Is that of concern?
We watch every tension very carefully; it can spill over to open conflict. We stress on the need to address all the differences through diplomatic negotiations. Sometimes it is easy to say but difficult to observe. But we want both sides to engage in diplomacy rather...
