Jaishankar flags Ukraine conflict a concern for G20, says world noted India’s stance

“There are genuine challenges right now given the polarization. And I think in particular, how the repercussions of the Ukraine conflict are playing out in different forums. This has become a very big concern…But if I were to do a little bit of forecasting, there’s no doubt today, energy security is a huge concern for people or when the price of oil has effectively double,” he said.

Jaishankar added that the anxiety of the developing countries is stronger as they do not have the resources to deal with this challenge.

“The G 20 is a very heavily economic platform. It’s an economic developmental platform, which then gets into politics from time to time…These concerns about the stresses (with) three years of Covid, and then the Ukraine issue, and then in many cases climate change coming on top of it. These concerns will be foremost in the minds of people,” elaborated Jaishankar.

Additionally, Jaishankar pointed out that India’s “independent stance” on the Ukraine conflict has resulted in “brand improvement” owing to the “stronger confidence and more independent voice with which we have spoken out on global issues and made our decisions on that.”

“The world is going through a very complicated conflict in Ukraine and the world is very polarized as a consequence. Now, in a very polarized world, obviously, all countries come under pressure from this side or that side. The fact that we have taken an independent stance, the fact that we have made decisions which we believe are the right decisions, from the perspective of the welfare of our people, that is something, the world has noted…We are also articulating the sentiments and the feelings of a lot of other countries who may not be that confident today in expressing the same,” he added.

Addressing India’s position with regard to China advancing along Indian borders, Jaishankar said, “Everybody wants to get along with the countries, especially if they happen to be neighbors. It’s sensible. But you want to get along on reasonable terms on terms of mutual respect and interest. So, the issue is not whether we should have good relations or not.We want good relations, but good relations cannot be at the cost of our national interest. It cannot be at the cost of disturbed boundaries.”

Jaishankar, however, added that the challenge China posed in India’s border areas have only helped the “Brand India” in exemplifying its resilience.

“Two years ago, in the middle of Covid-19 we had the Chinese actually move forces in violation of agreements. That we stood our ground, that two years from then we have been working it out without making concessions, I think, the world has noted that ‘this is a country which is capable of defending its interest, that it will not yield, that it would be both strong on the ground and vocal in terms of putting out its interest.’.”

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Outlining the new diplomacy arc for India, Jaishankar acknowledged that Latin America and Africa are two areas where it is expanding, with Latin America being neglected owing to the “physical distance” which also put a “mental distance”.

Additionally, in terms of innovation in diplomacy, Jaishankar emphasised that apart from Quad, I2U2, which is a grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, is something that the “world is looking at with a lot of interest” since it has moved away from the traditional diplomacy of “treaties and agreements” and instead “countries have to come together, find ways of working together, not necessarily doing it with all the rigor and the legal commitments that traditional diplomacy is used to.”