India looking for partners; not preachers: EAM S Jaishankar
India looking for partners; not preachers: EAM S Jaishankar in veiled message to Europe
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday, asserted that New Delhi is looking for partners and not "preachers" at the 'Arctic Circle India Forum'
In this image posted by @DrSJaishankar via X on May 4, 2025,
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks at the Arctic Circle India Forum
2025. (@DrSJaishankar via PTI Photo)
NEW DELHI — Europe must display some sensitivity and mutuality of interest for
deeper ties with India, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday,
asserting that New Delhi is looking for partners and not "preachers".
In an interactive session, Jaishankar said India always
advocated on the "Russia realism" and there is an "important
fit" and "complementarity" between India and Russia as a
resource provider and consumer.
The external affairs minister also criticised earlier
attempts by the West to find a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict without
involving Russia, saying it "challenged the basics of realism".
"Just like I am an advocate of Russia realism, I am
also an advocate of America realism," he said at the 'Arctic Circle India
Forum'.
"I think the best way to engage today's America is also
through finding mutuality of interests rather than putting ideological
differences upfront and then allowing it to cloud the possibilities of working
together," he said.
The external affairs minister was broadly delving into
global consequences of developments in the Arctic and how the changing world
order impacts the region.
In answering a question on India's expectations from Europe,
Jaishankar said it has to get beyond preaching and start acting based on a
framework of mutuality.
"When we look out at the world, we look for partners;
we do not look for preachers, particularly preachers who do not practice at
home and preach abroad," he said.
"I think some of Europe is still struggling with that
problem. Some of it has changed," the external affairs minister said,
adding, Europe has "entered a certain zone of reality check".
"Now whether they are able to step up to it or not, it
is something we will have to see," he said.
"But from our point of view, if we are to develop a
partnership, there has to be some understanding, there has to be some
sensitivity, there has to be a mutuality of interest and there has to be a
realisation of how the world works," he noted.
"And I think these are all work in progress to
differing degrees with different parts of Europe. So some have moved further,
some a little bit less," Jaishankar said.
On India-Russia ties, he said there is such an
"important fit and complimentarily" between the two countries as a
"resource provider and resource consumer".
"Where Russia is concerned, we have always taken a view
that there is a Russia realism that we have advocated."
"When passions were very high (in) 2022, 2023..if one
looks back at that period, the kind of predictions and scenarios which were put
forward have turned out not to be well founded," he said
In the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, New Delhi
remained engaged with Moscow and increased its procurement of Russian crude oil
notwithstanding increasing disquiet in the West.
