External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that the Ukraine conflict could be a wake-up call for Europe to look at challenges faced by Asia, PTI reported.
“Quite candidly, we have been hearing for the last two months a lot of arguments from Europe saying things are happening in Europe and Asia should worry about it because this could happen in Asia,” Jaishankar said. “Things have been happening in Asia for the last 10 years. Europe may not have looked at it. So this could be a wake-up call for Europe to also look at Asia.”
Jaishankar, who was speaking at a geopolitics conference in Delhi, added that Asia is not an “easy part of the world” and that terrorism is rampant in the region, reported PTI.
“This is a part of the world where the rules-based order has been under continuous stress for more than a decade and I think it is important for the rest of the world, outside Asia to recognise that today,” he said.
When Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt asked about India’s stance on Ukraine, Jaishankar said that the country’s position was “very clear” as it has been urging a diplomatic dialogue instead of fighting.
Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, in what it called a “special operation” to demilitarise and “de-Nazify” its neighbouring country. Ukraine and Western allies have said that this is a baseless pretext for a war of choice.
Jaishankar on Tuesday also spoke about the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. He said that “an entire civil society was thrown under the bus by the world”, reported PTI.
Jaishankar was referring to the United State’s withdrawal from Afghanistan last year after two-decades-long occupation. The Taliban took over governance, severely depriving women of their rights and education. The Taliban’s team of ministers also has United-Nations designated terrorists.
“I would say quite honestly, all of us would like to find the right balance of our beliefs and interests, of our experience, and that is what all really try to do,” he was quoted by the news agency. “It looks different from different parts of the world. The priorities are different and that’s quite natural.”
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