New Delhi [India], April 26 (ANI): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday reiterated India’s position amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and asked the western countries not to forget other important issues in the world like Afghanistan. Speaking at a private geopolitical conclave in New Delhi, Jaishankar recognised that conflict in Ukraine is the dominant issue of the day but also questioned the muted response from European countries on pressing issues in Asia.
“When rules-based order was challenged in Asia, the advice we got from Europe is – do more trade. At least we are not giving you that advice… We should find a way of returning to diplomacy and dialogue,” the minister said in response to a poser of Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.
Jaishankar said the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a dominant issue, not alone in principle and values but also for its practical consequences. “People in Africa and Asia people are seeing the conflict play out in terms of higher energy prices, in terms of food inflation, in terms of disruptions of various kinds,” he said.
The minister reasoned that the truth is nobody wants to see this conflict. “There will be no winners out of this contest.” However, Jaishankar also empathised on the need to pay attention to “pressing issues in other parts of the world like Afghanistan”. “Which part of the rules-based order justified what the world did there (Afghanistan).”
Further responding to Asselborn on India’s position on the ongoing conflict, EAM said, “We all have to find some ways returning to the diplomacy and dialogue. And to do that the fighting must stop and that is what we are trying to do.” As the conflict continues to prolong in Ukraine, India on several occasions has clarified its position on the issue. It has called for a cessation of violence and the return to diplomacy and dialogue. (ANI)
Jaishankar reiterates India’s readiness to address global food shortage amid Ukraine crisis
New Delhi [India], April 26 (ANI): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India is willing to step in to mitigate the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine that has led to the emergence of several challenges, including the shortage of food stocks.
Speaking at an international conclave in New Delhi, the minister said, “As I said, one impact of the Ukraine war is energy prices but one sees in terms of food storage and food inflation. India can make difference by stepping in terms of exports of agricultural commodities, especially wheat.”
Jaishankar noted some constraints that India has faced in exports due to WTO limits on trading. “…This (impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict) is a very unusual situation and we hope the WTO can look at it in that manner.”
Expressing India’s willingness to the address the global food shortages, the minister said, “If we can contribute to alleviating the food shortages whether its government purchases, expanding the market, or helping the World Food Programme, I think this is a very big contribution that we are prepared to make.”
His remark came after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that India is “carving out” opportunities from challenging situations as the world continues to face hikes in fuel prices and shortage of food grains amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
Addressing a press conference in Washington last week, Sitharaman said that India is trying to find a market for its exports and provide meaningful assistance to end hunger. The Finance Minister said she voiced her concern that countries like India which have the capacity to address the issue of food shortage have faced difficulties with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The UN has also stated that an immediate and worrying finding is that food shortages are expected in the coming months. It further stated that the conflict is likely to severely disrupt production for tens of thousands of small farmers, those who have decided to stay behind in Ukraine. (ANI)
