US President Barack Obama's remarks on Iran and Myanmar in his address to Parliament reflected the views of his country and they do not have a bearing on India's policies, government said today.
"There were references to Iran and Myanmar in the address of US President Barack Obama to a meeting of MPs on November 8. These remarks reflect the views of the US and do not have a bearing on the policies of the Government of India with regard to Iran or Myanmar," Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur informed the Lok Sabha.
Her response came in a written reply to a question whether the government proposes to change its foreign policy in regard to these countries after Obama's remarks.
The Minister said India's bilateral relations with Iran and Myanmar "stand on their own" and are "not influenced" by the country's relations with third countries.
"Iran is a major source of India's imports of energy resources. India and Myanmar have a broad based, multi-dimensional relationship, including in the area of oil and natural gas," Kaur said.
In his address, Obama said that India should speak up on issues like human rights violations in Myanmar and implement sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.