WION Exclusive | India is an advocate of diplomacy and dialogue, says S Jaishankar

India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday that India has always been an advocate of diplomacy and dialogue when it comes to global conflicts like the Ukraine war. In an exclusive interview with WION’s Molly Gambhir, Jaishankar said that the world is extremely polarised right now and India will be working together with other countries to make sure that the conflict is resolved.

“There is no question that the world is very polarised and one of the biggest issues of polarisation is Ukraine conflict. From the start, we have been advocates of diplomacy and dialogue and the Prime Minister has made it clear that this is not an era of war. Going into Bali while Indonesia had the presidency, they had a tough task on their hands and they did extremely well under the circumstances. But we were very supportive of them and worked together to find some sort of a common landing point on the more difficult issues so that the G20 itself is not impacted by this polarisation.”

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India officially took over the G20 presidency and Jaishankar made it clear that it is a momentous occasion for the country. When asked about the priorities, he said that India will be looking to articulate the concerns and the interests of the global south which is currently facing various challenges.

Gravitas: India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar speaks to WION

“India’s endeavor will be to address some of the pressing issues of the day. Issues like food security and energy security. Also, more perennial issues like sustainable development goals, climate action and climate justice. But we have just taken over the presidency and there will also be a lot of consultations with other countries because we are determined that India should really articulate the concerns and the interests of the global south. The global south is under a lot of pressure due to a combination of circumstances – debt, Covid, the Ukraine conflict, extreme climate and in some parts of the world – terrorism. So, some of what we will be pushing is visible right now and some of it will emerge with the passage of time. But we definitely want to have both a consultative but also an impactful presidency.”

With the G20 summit almost a year away, Jaishankar said that not all agendas are clear but the summit will be the premier forum for the biggest economies in the world to focus on the right issues.

“I think countries today do recognise the value of India which has maintained its relationship and has made clear its principles. The conflict today has other individual concerns – the grain initiative, some anxiety over the nuclear issues and even concerns about how to get fertilisers out to the world. We are working sometimes visibly and sometimes not so. We have been in contact with the UN. But our goal will be to see the G20 as the premier forum for the biggest economies in the world to focus on the right issues, the vulnerability and anxieties of the global south. Because if we take our eyes off that ball, the world is really headed for trouble.”