New Delhi (Sputnik) — Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Indians have been engaged in preserving the environment for more than 5,000 years, and the Paris agreement is "not for money."
"To say we [signed the accord] for money, I totally reject that," she said.
"India signed the Paris agreement not because of any pressure or out of greed. We are committed to the environment and this commitment is 5,000 years old. We worship nature. It is in the Indian ethos. I clearly dismiss both accusations," Sushma Swaraj said in New Delhi.
Earlier on Sunday, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley took a tough stance against India in an interview with CBS News.
"I think the rest of the world would like to tell us how to manage our own environment and I think that anybody in America can tell you that we’re best to decide what America should do. We don’t need India and France and China telling us what they think we should do," Haley said.
Trump had accused India and China of manipulating the Paris climate deal in their favor in a speech on June 1, claiming that India's participation in the Paris climate deal was "contingent on receiving billions and billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid from developed countries."
Trump’s remarks come as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Washington in less than a month.
