Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar recently gave an interview to Italy’s famous Corriere Della Sera in which he shared some concise but nevertheless relevant insight into his country’s perspective on contemporary International Relations. He began by reaffirming interest in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) that was unveiled during September’s G20 Summit in Delhi but whose implementation has temporarily been impeded by the latest Israeli-Hamas war.
According to him, the logic behind this initiative is still solid, which is true since all stakeholders objectively benefit by expanding their economic cooperation through these means. Regarding the aforementioned conflict that unexpectedly broke out and impeded this megaproject’s implementation, EAM Jaishankar reiterated India’s consistent position that a two-state solution is the best and most probable one. This is a pragmatic stance, but it hasn’t received the attention that it deserves.
Moving along, the next part of his interview saw him lambast the West’s double standards Israel and Ukraine as being driven by what he heavily implied is that bloc’s historical arrogance, but he also said that it seems like the world has finally overcome this phase. India’s top diplomat then opined on the West’s hypocritical approach towards sanctions, which he described as selective and only enforced whenever it suits their interests. EAM Jaishankar also said that their anti-Russian ones lack legitimacy.
Segueing into some brief commentary on that conflict, he reaffirmed his government’s position that it should be resolved through political means and said that India will gladly help however it can if requested to do so. He then wrapped everything up by mentioning how important BRICS has become since its inception after over two dozen countries wanted to join the group during its latest summit. In his view, this shows sincere interest in reforming the formerly Western-dominated world system.
Altogether, EAM Jaishankar’s brief interview served to remind the Italian audience about India’s balanced approach towards the global systemic transition. As a rising Great Power with increasingly worldwide influence, its position on the most pressing issues of the day is being sought out by all pertinent stakeholders and considered when formulating their own policies. It’s nowadays impossible to ignore India, and its global renown will continue growing throughout the rest of the century and beyond.
