NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday took a jibe at Pakistan and noted that ties with Pakistan remain an exception due to Pakistan’s support for “crossborder terrorism”.
Addressing a gathering at Nani A Palkhivala Memorial lecture at Mumbai, the external affairs minister explained that India has been working to reconstruct regional relationships following partition through a generous approach without expecting reciprocation.
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“India’s challenge has been to rebuild a neighbourhood in the aftermath of the partition. It is doing so through a generous and non-reciprocal approach, funding and supporting energy, rail and road connectivity. Expanding trade and investment and intensifying exchanges and contacts. In times of crisis, India has served as an insurance for its smaller neighbours. Sri Lanka discovered that in 2023 when India put together a package of more than $4 billion… Political developments may throw up complex situations as we are currently witnessing in Bangladesh… It is the mutuality of interest that should be counted upon to prevail,” Jaishankar said.
“Pakistan remains the exception in our neighbourhood in view of its support for cross-border terrorism. And that cancer is now consuming its own body politic. The entire subcontinent has a shared interest in Pakistan abjuring that approach,” he added.
Speaking about India-China ties, Jaishankar noted that efforts are ongoing to resolve complications stemming from the 2020 border situation, and affirmed the need for strategic long-term planning.
“Right now, the relationship (with China) is trying to entangle itself from the complications arising from the post-2020 border situation… More thought needs to be given to the long-term evolution of our ties. India has to prepare for expressions of China’s growing capabilities, particularly those that impinge directly on our interests… A more rapid development of India’s comprehensive national power is necessary… This is not just about correcting the earlier neglect of the border infrastructure and the oceanic periphery, but also mitigating dependence on sensitive domains… India’s approach can be summed up in three mutuals; mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest,” EAM said.
“The emergence of a multipolar Asia is an essential prerequisite for a multipolar world. Changes in the stance of the United States and China are among the key factors contributing to the emergence of the Indo-Pacific as a theatre. For India, this engagement is a logical extrapolation of its active policy that focused on the ASEAN,” he added.
On Indo-Russia relations, the minister noted Russia’s significant role in India’s national security considerations and highlighted the stabilising effect of their economic cooperation on the global economy.
“Russia has long held importance for India’s foreign policy. Despite all the ups and downs that the world has seen since 1945, this is one relationship that has largely held steady. For decades, Russia has had a salience in India’s national security calculus. As Russia is redirecting its attention towards Asia, there is a further logic that is emerging. Deeper economic cooperation between India and Russia has a stabilising consequence for the global economy,” Jaishankar said.
“The connectivity potential of the collaboration also holds great promise. India’s expanding footprint will inevitably meet Russia’s influence in many regions. Like the rest of the world, India is not impervious to the implications of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It has been a persistent advocate of dialogue and diplomacy and is convinced that a solution cannot emerge from the battlefield,” he added.
