External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said India has emerged strongly from the turbulent geopolitical situation amid the Middle East conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war, adding that the country is successfully managing domestic and external challenges.“Speaking at the 15th annual convocation of IIM Raipur, he said countries today should focus on “hedging, de-risking and diversifying” as the global order is rapidly changing.
He said the world was undergoing a “structural” transformation, adding, “The global order is changing before our eyes, with visible shifts in the relative power and influence of countries. The politics of some societies are finding it difficult to keep pace with these changes.”Jaishankar also said, “New developments in technology, energy, military capabilities, connectivity and resources have encouraged risk-taking in an increasingly competitive environment. Today everything is being leveraged, if not actually weaponised. The world is faced with the prospect of securing itself in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable environment. This has necessitated the need to hedge, mitigate and diversify.”He said India has reasons for optimism compared to many other countries. “There is optimism in our society that is lacking in many other parts of the world,” he said, adding that India is now one of the top five economies and has handled the recent global shocks well.He further said, “No one can deny that the many recent global shocks have tested our resilience and India has emerged from it strongly. We have managed both domestic and external challenges quite successfully.The Minister said that building national capabilities is important for India’s vision of Develop India 2047. He also praised “inclusive growth, representative politics and decisive leadership”.He said, “It has become more important to build national capabilities in light of the global trends that I have mentioned… We must try to build and secure as many capabilities as possible within our control.”On foreign policy, Jaishankar said India is focusing on increasing market access, securing resources and technology, and supporting Indians abroad while promoting “Brand India”.“Today our foreign policy is focused on increasing market access for Indian producers. It is also focused on helping secure resources, technologies and essential commodities. It takes care of Indians… and it promotes Brand India,” he said.
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These comments come at a time when Middle East tensions have increased for more than a month, starting with the US-Israel attacks on Iran on February 28. The crisis has deepened since Iran seized control of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, sending oil baskets reeling around the world.