Tag: S Jaishankar

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‘Keeping India out of UNSC will call its credibility into question’

He compared the five permanent members, who are vested with the veto power, with passengers sitting on the first row of a bus and not leaving their places…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said keeping India out of the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council will only call the credibility of the international organisation into question.

Speaking at an event at Delhi University, Jaishankar said the UN was formed in 1940 during the Second World War and had only 50 member countries at the time. However, the number of members now has increased by 4 times with about 200 countries as members, he added.

“The present United Nations architecture was formed in the 1940s. There were 50 member countries of the UN back then, and now there are more than 200 countries. So there will be changes,” Jaishankar said.

He compared the five permanent members, who are vested with the veto power, with passengers sitting on the first row of a bus and not leaving their places.

“There is not an equal representation in UNSC as there is no African country, Latin America and the world’s largest country in terms of population and the fifth-largest economy cannot be kept out of this and if it is kept out, there will be questions raised on the credibility of the United Nations,” Jaishankar said at the event.

“BRICS first time said that UNSC memberships should undergo a change. History is on our side, and the UN will change. Forces who are blocking it will keep trying but eventually, it will happen,” he added.

At the DU event titled ‘G20 Presidency & its Global Impact’, Jaishankar also weighed in on India’s G20 presidency and what makes it different. “The first reason is actually the chair. The fact is, India assumed the G20 presidency at a time when we are starting to matter more to the world. This is partly because of our economic achievements as we are now the fifth-largest economy in the world,” he said.

He added that India, today, is recognised as essential to the global workplace and the global talent pool. The EAM said India’s G20 presidency matters because it has “demonstrated a capability of helping other countries”.

“Therefore India’s presidency of the G20 has expectations and responsibilities, which are exceptional,” he said. India assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1, 2022, and will hold the chair till November 30, this year. The theme for India’s G20 Presidency this year is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, loosely translated to ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. The phrase has been drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad.

The G20 Summit will be hosted in the national capital over two days — September 9 and 10.(ANI)

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‘World stood by us at time of tragedy’

EAM Dr S. Jaishankar said the global support it received during the horrific train accident in Odisha shows India’s connect with the world…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday the condolence messages and the outpouring of support that he received in the wake of the horrific train accident in Odisha shows how connected the world is with India.

“A lot of leaders from all over the world and the foreign minister from here [Namibia] also has expressed solidarity and sent sympathy,” EAM Jaishankar said while addressing the Indian diaspora in Namibia on Sunday. “I received many messages and foreign ministers and friends from across the world. The Prime Minister also received lots of messages. This is an example of how globalised today’s world is and how the world is connected with India,” he said further.

“A tragedy happened in India and the world decided to stand with India,” the EAM added.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday reached the Namibian Capital Windhoek to further strengthen relations with Namibia.

The Balasore derailment incident, involving two passenger trains and a goods train, claimed 275 lives and left over 1,000 injured.

The three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and a goods trains on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district.

Expressing grief over the accident, Jaishankar said, “I am physically here but the heart is in india. Our prayers today are for it.”

During the visit to Namibia, the EAM will call on the country’s top leadership.

He was received by the deputy minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia, Jenelly Matundu.

“Arrived in Windhoek. Thank Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia, Jenelly Matundu for receiving me so warmly. Look forward to a productive visit that takes our time-tested ties forward,” Jaishankar tweeted earlier.

He will also meet other ministers in the Namibian government while also co-chairing the inaugural session of the Joint Commission Meeting with the Namibian deputy PM and Foreign minister.

Before arriving in the Namibian capital on Sunday, the External Affairs Minister was in Cape Town, South Africa to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

In Cape Town, Jaishankar invoked the three-decade-old ties between India and South Africa stating that there is a very “deeply emotional” connection between the two countries. He said India’s and South Africa’s respective struggles were “deeply intertwined”.

Jaishankar made these remarks while interacting with the Indian diaspora in Cape Town.

Jaishankar also recalled that when South Africa got its independence, there was as much celebration in India as there was in there.

The EAM also said that India had invited South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 2019.

“We have really India and South Africa located at two different continents, but working together very closely in the United Nations, in the BRICS of which we are members in a body called IPSA, which is India, Brazil and South Africa, and in a variety of ways between the two of us directly now,” he added.

The relations between India and South Africa in these three decades have “flowered in every conceivable sense”, Jaishankar noted. (ANI)

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‘Pakistan’s future will be determined by its own actions’

Pakistan is grappling with economic difficulties including dwindling forex reserves, high inflation and sharp depreciation of its currency. It is rolling out higher taxes to get the IMF bailout package…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that Pakistan’s future will be largely determined by its own actions and choices and it is for the neighbouring country to find a way out of its economic troubles.

The minister referred to India’s assistance to Sri Lanka during the economic crisis faced by the island country and said it is a very different relationship. “I think Pakistan’s future is largely determined by Pakistan’s actions and by Pakistan’s choices. Nobody reaches a difficult situation suddenly and without cause. It is for them to find a way out. Our relationship today is not one where we can be relevant directly to that process,” Jaishankar said in response to queries on Pakistan.

Pakistan is grappling with economic difficulties including dwindling forex reserves, high inflation and sharp depreciation of its currency. It is rolling out higher taxes to get the IMF bailout package.

“If I were, for example, to compare it to Sri Lanka, it is a very different relationship. With Sri Lanka still, there is a lot of goodwill in this country. There is naturally neighbours’ concerns and worry but there is also a feeling look we have to help them to get through this. Tomorrow if something happens to some other neighbours that would be the case as well. But you know what the sentiment is there in the country for Pakistan,” Jaishankar said.

‘Gulf nations see today’s India as much more credible’

With India making rapid progress in its ties with the Gulf countries, Jaishankar on Tuesday said that the countries of the region see India as much more credible compared to the situation ten years back and they will prefer Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his predecessors in terms of growth of ties.

Jaishankar said boost in ties with the Gulf countries was among of big changes in the foreign policy domain. “If you were to ask me in ten years give me three examples of some big changes that happened in our policy, I would certainly put the changed relationship with Gulf, very, very high up there on the list,” Jaishankar said in response to the queries.

In an apparent dig at Congress, he said foreign policy should not be dictated by “vote bank mentality”

“There is a big community out there. The rest of it was like a distant goodwill which you needed for your political vote bank calculations. I think when you got a different government, which said we actually want something deeper, more strategic with full elements or full spectrum relationship, we have the ability today to deliver on lot of issues…. One of the reasons why the Gulf looks at us, the Gulf sees today’s India as much more credible than India of 10 years ago,” he added.

‘We are an exceptional international power’

Highlighting India’s growing stature on the global stage, Jaishankar said that “we are an exceptional international power.”

“We have been able to very clearly demonstrate to the world that we are exceptional international power, meaning we are willing to do things for others, perhaps more than most of the countries are at this point of time.” Speaking on big global issues, he said, “We have been able to demonstrate to the world that we are an exceptional international power. If you look today India’s global standing is clearly very much higher and quite strong. Strategically, there’s much more clarity in our own thinking and operations,” he said.

He underscored the importance of ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative and said, “If you ask me a single thing that we have done in the last ten years which has shaped global views about India, it is ‘Vaccine Maitri.'”

He also talked about India partnering in groupings like QUAD and others, he said, “India is going up, it’s going well….Why do we have so many partnerships? Because we get along with so many people. How we are to manage different partnerships? Maybe because we are good at it.”

Speaking on China, he said, “India’s relationship with major powers is good. China is an exception because it violated agreements that we’ve had and has a posture at the border and as a result we have a counter posture. Overall India’s relationship with major powers is good. Relationship with Europe is the best ever we had.”

He also gave an example of India’s relationship with Russia, saying, “Our relationship with Russia has been extraordinarily steady and it has been steady through all the turbulence in global politics.”

He also lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whom India’s stature on the global stage has increased manifold.

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‘India envisages a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific’

Such a lateral connectivity can radically expand the interface between South-East Asia and South Asia, to the mutual benefit of both, he argued…reports Asian Lite News

India envisages a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region based on a rules-based international order, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated on Thursday, even as made a strong case for a more collaborative outlook that transcends the orthodoxy of earlier theatres.

Speaking on ‘India’s Vision of the Indo-Pacific’ at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, he also described the Quad as the most “prominent” platform in the region.

“Only those whose mindsets are built around spheres of influence and who are uncomfortable with the democratization of world affairs will dispute the Indo-Pacific today,” EAM Jaishankar stressed, in a thinly-veiled reference to China.

The remarks came even as China flexes its muscles in the strategically important region.

“We envisage a free, open, inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, one which is built on a rules-based international order, sustainable and transparent infrastructure investment, freedom of navigation and over-flight, unimpeded lawful commerce, mutual respect for sovereignty, peaceful resolution of disputes, as well as equality of all nations,” EAM Jaishankar said.

Referring to “collective concerns for the global commons,” EAM Jaishankar said it was no longer feasible for any one country to assume all the burdens and a more collaborative outlook that transcends the orthodoxy of earlier theatres is the need of the day.

‘Asean at the centre’

EAM Jaishankar added that India envisages the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be at the centre of the Indo-Pacific, both literally and substantively. “Our ASEAN partners will surely note that our interactions with them have grown, not reduced, as a result of the Indo-Pacific,” he remarked.

According to EAM Jaishankar, the Quad is the most prominent plurilateral platform that addresses contemporary challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific. Pointing out that the energies of the Quad are directed at a very broad range of activities, he expressed the confidence that the entire Indo-Pacific region will benefit from its activities.

“And that is validated by the growing recognition of its importance in the international community. If there are reservations in any quarter, these stem from a desire to exercise a veto on the choices of others. And possibly a unilateralist opposition to a collective and cooperative endeavours,” he said in a thinly-veiled reference to China which has expressed its objection to the concept of the Quad on several occasions.

He also spoke of connectivity, saying the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway has the potential of creating a completely new axis of economic activity in Asia. Such a lateral connectivity can radically expand the interface between South-East Asia and South Asia, to the mutual benefit of both, he argued.

During his address, he also explained that the prospects for the global order depend very much on a more equitable and democratic distribution of power and resources. “For that to happen, the world must obviously be more multi-polar. And such a multi-polar world must necessarily have a multi-polar Asia at its centre,” EAM Jaishankar remarked.

“Our expectation is that individually, bilaterally and collectively with the ASEAN, we contribute to the emergence of a more stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” he added.

‘Thailand a key asean state’

Describing Thailand as a key ASEAN state and the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, he pointed out that India and Thailand are marking the 75th year of their diplomatic relations this year. “India looks forward to work closely with Thailand for its active participation in the implementation and progress of our vision in the Indo-Pacific,” EAM Jaishankar added.

He also referred to Thailand as “a civilizational neighbour, as also an economic, political, maritime and increasingly, a strategic neighbour”.

On Wednesday, EAM Jaishankar had co-chaired the 9th Meeting of the India-Thailand Joint Commission (JCM) with Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Ministers discussed wide ranging issues of mutual interest and reviewed the progress made in various areas, including political, defence & security, economic & commercial, connectivity, cultural, tourism and people-to-people ties

Both sides also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest and reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the multi-dimensional partnership that exist between the two countries, the MEA added.

EAM Jaishankar addressed and interacted with the Indian Community in Thailand and spoke about the special occasion of the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence which also coincided with the 75th anniversary of establishment of India-Thailand diplomatic relations.

During his stay, he also called on Prime Minister of Thailand Gen. Prayut Chan-o-Cha and conveyed personal greetings and good wishes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (India News Network)

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