New Delhi, Sep 15 — External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India, with greater interests, more exposure, a larger number of partners and operating in a more complex landscape, has to constantly apply and re-apply to the changing dynamic.
In his address at the inaugural session of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in New Delhi, EAM Jaishankar said India has good ties with all the parties involved in the conflicts taking place in the Gulf and Ukraine and emphasised that forging an approach is not easy.
"There are two major conflicts currently underway, one in the Gulf and the other in Ukraine. In each case, India has good ties with all the parties involved. Forging an approach is therefore not easy. How to balance out the various equities is a legitimate subject of conversation. Or let me give you another example: the global economy is witnessing the weaponisation of everything. We are also seeing greater volatility in tariffs and increased dumping on other markets. How could that be best countered? Another subject for discussion, or let us take competition itself, it is now taking an extreme form with less restraint and higher risks," he said.
"What can be done to deter, to avoid, to mitigate? Clearly, much food for thought here. The point I'm making is that an India with greater interests, more exposure, a larger number of partners, and operating in a more complex landscape will have to constantly apply and re-apply itself to this dynamic. Often, the answers are in optimising strategy and responses rather than taking black-and-white positions," he added.
Emphasising that India has to customise and draw lessons from the experiences of others, he said, "Diplomacy, after all, is very much an exercise in nuance; it is not enough to optimise. India also has to customise. We can draw lessons from the experiences of others, but ultimately the fact is that we are unique. It is therefore all the more important for us to have those debates amongst ourselves, an exercise where ICWA can make a real difference."
EAM Jaishankar noted that ICWA since its establishment has been studying and promoting international affairs. He recalled that the Indian parliament's designation of ICWA as an institution of national importance recognised its distinctive contribution to India's intellectual engagement with the world.
He said that the 25th anniversary celebration of ICWA is not only an occasion to recall the journey of the institution but also to reflect on the role it can play in the years ahead.
Highlighting India's growing engagement with the international community, EAM Jaishankar said, "India today engages with a much wider range of countries and regions. Our interests have become increasingly global, our responsibilities have grown, and expectations of India have also risen correspondingly. India is also articulating with greater confidence its perspectives on global challenges, including those that concern the Global South. As India's global role grows, our intellectual engagement with international affairs must keep pace."
"While much of the established discourse on international relations has been shaped by concepts and experiences developed elsewhere, a rising India must increasingly bring its own history, experience, interests, concepts, and even terminology to the way it approaches the world. ICWA has an important place in this endeavour. By encouraging informed debate from an Indian perspective, it (ICWA) contributes to a deeper understanding of the choices before us and a more confident articulation of India's approach to the world. It must therefore play an active part in the debates that always accompany the rise of any power," he added.