United Nations, September 26: On Tuesday, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar proclaimed India to be a “Vishwa Mitra,” or friend of the world, who would create bridges but also question the established order and give the South a voice as it demands what is rightfully its.
At the high-level meeting of the General Assembly, he declared, “When we wanted to be a leading power, this was not for self-aggrandisement but to take on more responsibility and make more contributions.
All countries seek their own national interests, but in India, we’ve never thought it went against the greater good.
India’s position has evolved from that of non-alignment to that of Vishwa Mitra, a friend to the world, he added, describing it.
Our ability to collaborate with a wide range of nations and, when appropriate, align interests demonstrates this.
The G20 summit in New Delhi, which India is hosting, “affirms that diplomacy and conversation are the only viable answers. The global system of government is complex. We also need to account for discrepancies, if not divergences. The days of a few countries setting the agenda and expecting everyone to follow suit are gone, he said.
The major issues of the many, not simply the specific interests of a small number of people, were the emphasis of “One World, One Family, One Future,” he remarked.
The conclusions of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, which highlighted development and the need to restructure the global financial system, “will undoubtedly resonate for years ahead,” he said.
When asked about the future of his country, Jaishankar said, “As a civilizational polity that welcomes modernity, we bring both tradition and technology to the table equally confidently. Today, India is defined as Bharat by this merger.
India has reached the Amrit Kaal, or quarter century, in which further development and change are in store for us.
When our Chandrayaan 3 touched down on the moon, “the world saw a glimpse of what was to come,” he added.
As a multipolar world develops, Jaishankar criticises the current global power structure: “The days when a few countries set the agenda and expected others to follow suit are gone.
“A few countries continue to set the agenda and work to establish the norms. This cannot continue forever and will not go unopposed. Once we all set our minds to it, a fair, equitable, and democratic system will undoubtedly develop.
Finding common ground, he said, is the only way out of this situation, as was seen at the G20 Summit when India succeeded in forging an understanding. The goal, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was to “bridge divides, demolish barriers, and sow seeds of collaboration that nourish a world where unity triumphs over discord and where shared destiny triumphs over isolation,” Jaishankar stated.
Finding common ground is essential to respecting people’s opinions and listening to them, he added.
“These are the fundamentals of collaboration, not signs of weakness. Then, actions taken in unison to address global concerns will be fruitful.
He said that the transition of India’s foreign policy from nonalignment to Vishwa Mitra “is reflected in our ability to engage with a broad range of nations and, when necessary, harmonise interests”.
He used the examples of the BRICS, where China, Russia, and India are all members, and multilateral agreements with the US at their core. The Vishwa Mitra strategy “is visible in the rapid growth of the Quad, a mechanism today so relevant to the Indo-Pacific (of India, the US, Japan, and Australia)”, according to the author.
The growth of the independent-minded BRICS bloc, as well as the establishment of the I2U2 alliance (of India, Israel, the US, and the UAE), are both examples, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden unveiled the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor during the G20 Summit, which we just held.
“This willingness to work in an open-minded manner on specific domains is now a defining characteristic of the emerging multipolar order,” the speaker stated.
