5 key comments by S Jaishankar Munich Security Conference
Op IndiaOn Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke on an array of issues pertaining to India’s strategic policies and diplomatic stances during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference 2022. Dr Lynn Kuok questioned, “What has the crisis meant for India’s China strategy and has it meant a decisive and enduring shift towards the West?” The Indian External Affairs Minister clarified that the situation at the Line of Actual Control will determine the diplomatic relations with the Communist country. Could you please help me understand if India’s position is that different principles should apply in different parts of the world?” The Indian External Affairs Minister clarified, “I don’t think these situations in the Indo-Pacific and the Transatlantic are really analogous and certainly the assumption in your question that somehow there’s a trade off and one country does this in the pacific so in return you do something else – I don’t think that’s how international relations work. And the problem in the Indo-Pacific is not recent, so I would say you really need to look at that question again.” On the question of principles and its application to the world order uniformly, S Jaishankar stated, “No, I would say principles and interests are balanced and if people were so principled in this part of the world, they would have been practising them in Asia, or Afghanistan before we have actually seen them do.” S Jaishankar on Act East Policy The panel moderator, Dr Lynn Kuok, had quizzed the Indian External Affairs Minister on the ‘Act East Policy’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.