In an indirect reference to the China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday that India had shaped the debate on the need for transparency and respect for territorial integrity by implement connectivity projects.
Jaishankar described Pakistan as a “particularly egregious example of state-sponsored cross-border terrorism” and called for a comprehensive global convention to counter the threat while speaking on the topic “Crisis and cooperation: imperative in times of pandemic” at the Foreign Ministry. . Deccan Dialog.
He pointed to terrorism, pandemics and climate change as the “most existential aspects of globalization” that should be considered in the debates on international cooperation and the opening of countries in the future.
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“In terms of connectivity, we have shaped the debate on the merits of transparency, market viability, respect for the environment and territorial integrity. And in many parts of the world, from Africa to the Caribbean to the South Pacific, we have helped build capacities, provided training and disseminated best practices, ”Jaishankar said without mentioning China.
“These traits in India’s foreign policy outlook will only be stronger after the Covid pandemic,” he said.
India is one of the main obstacles for the BRI, which faces mounting criticism for pressuring countries, including neighbors, into debt traps. India has also said that Beijing’s connectivity initiative brings greater advantages to Chinese companies.
“With regard to terrorism, the era of ‘not my problem’ came to an end on 9/11, but it has yet to produce a wholehearted international collaborative effort,” said Jaishankar, adding that India’s goal remains a comprehensive convention on terrorism.
“We have in our immediate neighborhood a particularly egregious example of state-sponsored cross-border terrorism. The world is gradually realizing the global nature of international terrorism. Our tireless efforts have kept him in the spotlight, highlighting related issues such as terrorist financing, radicalization, and cyber recruitment, ”he said.
India’s efforts have led to greater awareness of the different facets of terrorism and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has “become a more important forum and black money is firmly on the G20 agenda today,” he added. .
In the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis, the immediate focus is on economic recovery and there is increased global awareness of more resilient supply chains. It is up to India to exploit this sentiment for additional growth as the crisis has highlighted the importance of international cooperation, he said.
While the world has become more multipolar and the rebalancing has gone beyond the economic facets, an architecture with more variables requires better rules, and India should steer the debate towards greater international cooperation at a time when “current institutions they are rigid and vested interests are strong, ”said Jaishankar.
“In the meantime, therefore, we have to look for practical solutions, including ad hoc groups of nations wishing to cooperate on selected issues,” he said.
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