India’s position changes

India changed its position after Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka said they would not seek military assistance to fight the Corona infection. According to the country, the Indian government has no immediate plans to deploy Indian Army medical teams in these countries to deal with the Corona epidemic. Sources from the Indian Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry said on Friday that the Indian Army Rapid Response Medical Team (RRT) would be deployed only if the request came. This is stated in the report titled ‘Do Not Move to Deploy Army Medical Teams in Neighboring Countries Scientific Request: Government’ published online in Hindu. This report was written by journalist Suhasini Haider and Dinakar Perry. Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava called the report on India’s readiness to deploy a military medical team “misleading” and said: “We have immediately responded to the request to deploy a rapid response team to deal with Crown”. This team includes doctors, nurses, and paramedics. He cited the Maldives and Kuwait as examples. We are ready to ship these kits on short notice if other friendly countries request it. “If there is a request from these countries, we put our team on hold,” sources with the Foreign Ministry said. However, no comment was received after contacting the Defense Ministry.

The report further said that senior officials in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka firmly rejected any plan to seek India’s military assistance. India has since clarified its position. On Friday, Arab News from Saudi Arabia quoted Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the Afghan National Security Council. In it, Javed Faisal said that no request had ever been made (to India) for such assistance from Kabul. No such suggestion was received from Delhi either. These reports are false and misleading. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told a Dhaka newspaper on Wednesday that there was no need for a foreign medical team. “We don’t need that help,” said Momen. We send teams to different countries. In this regard, he indicated the cooperation of Bangladesh in the Maldives, Bhutan, Kuwait and China.

Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Maj. (Retired) General Kamal Gunarte rejected the need for Indian military cooperation. On Wednesday, he told reporters in the capital Colombo that “our own troops have demonstrated skill and professionalism in handling emergencies caused by the coronavirus.”
But on April 3, the Indian Defense Ministry issued a press release. “Six naval ships have been deployed to assist neighboring countries,” he said. In addition, 5 medical teams have been prepared or placed on hold for deployment in Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan. Then on April 15, the information was updated. In it, army sources detailed India’s support for “friendly foreign countries” like Kuwait. The largest number of people affected by the crown in Kuwait are Indian workers. An Indian Army RRT team has been dispatched to the Maldives. It has 5 doctors and paramedics. The Maldivian government has been asked to play an advisory role in cooperation with the security measures it has taken on the Kovid issue. Furthermore, the army is supplying medicines worth Rs 11.3 lakh to Nepal. Defense Ministry sources have repeatedly said they have medical teams awaiting deployment in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan. It is in this context that such reports are made. But diplomatic and defense sources are now making it clear that this was their only preparation for the neighbors. This was not discussed with those countries.