S Jaishankar emphasized greater integration between foreign and military policies
New Delhi:
India’s rise will evoke its own reactions and responses, and there will be attempts to dilute the country’s influence and limit its interests, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday. The foreign minister, alluding to Pakistan, said India continues to face “perennial problems” such as cross-border terrorism and that national security challenges will be different for times to come.
Delivering the second Manohar Parrikar memorial lecture, Mr. Jaishankar said that as India expands its global interests and reach, there is an even more compelling case to focus on its tough power.
“The national security challenges facing this growing India will obviously be different as well. On one level, some of the more perennial problems associated with our national consolidation and development will continue,” said Jaishankar. “In particular, a long-standing political rivalry is expressed today as cross-border terrorism sustained by a neighbor,” he said.
The foreign minister mentioned the attack on parliament 19 years ago, adding that “in some other cases, the activities of terrorist groups must be continuously monitored and neutralized.”
“But the world is a competitive place and the rise of India will provoke its own reactions and responses. There will be attempts to dilute our influence and limit our interests. Some of this challenge may be directly in the domain of security; others could be reflected in the economy, connectivity and even social contacts, “said Jaishankar.
He emphasized having greater integration and convergence between foreign and military policy. “In reality, there are very few major states that still have unresolved borders to the extent that we do. Equally relevant is the unique challenge we face from years of intense terrorism inflicted on us by a neighbor. Nor can we ignore attempts to undermine our integrity and national unity, “he said.
“And beyond these exceptional factors are the daily security challenges of long borders and great maritime spaces. Thinking and planning for a policy that operates in such an uncertain environment must naturally give primacy to tough security. “said Jaishankar.
On India’s growing global stature, Jaishankar said that the country’s “relationship to the world” cannot be the same as when its ranking was much lower. “Our stakes in the world have certainly gotten higher and consequently so have the expectations of us. Simply put, India matters more and our worldview must process that in all its aspects,” he said. “In the big global issues of our time, whether we talk about climate change or trade flows or health or data security concerns, India’s positioning has more influence on the bottom line,” said Jaishankar.
He explained the “conceptual shifts” observed in Indian foreign policy since 2014 and said that much of that was influenced by the growing understanding of the different world. In terms of “Neighborhood First,” he said the new approach envisaged a generous, non-reciprocal commitment from neighbors that focuses on connectivity, contacts and cooperation.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was released from a press release)
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