India defends energy choices
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday stressed the need for resilient and diversified supply chains, sustained diplomatic efforts and greater international cooperation to deal with the fallout of ongoing conflicts, saying their impact extends “far beyond the regions” where they occur.
Participating in a discussion on “Emerging Powers and the New Geopolitical Competition” at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland, Jaishankar joined Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and UAE Assistant Foreign Minister Lana Nusseibeh in deliberations on shifting global power dynamics and contemporary security challenges.
“Noted that ongoing conflicts are imposing costs and triggering changes far beyond the regions,” Jaishankar said in a social media post after the discussion.
He said there was broad agreement that the international community must continue efforts to mitigate the consequences of conflicts and create conditions conducive to diplomacy.
Jaishankar also emphasised the importance of “de-risking and diversifying” supply chains and “building greater resilience and redundancy in an increasingly volatile world”.
On energy security, he reiterated that India’s energy choices are guided by national interest and that purchases are based on considerations of affordability and availability.
Referring to India’s engagement with West Asia, Jaishankar underscored the centrality of the Gulf region in New Delhi’s foreign policy, “underpinned by strong people-to-people ties, energy cooperation, and growing strategic and defence partnership”.
The minister also observed that the nature of warfare is undergoing rapid transformation, with emerging technologies, new weapons systems and evolving tactics coexisting with conventional forms of conflict.
He said these developments were opening new avenues for defence and strategic cooperation between India and Europe.
Highlighting the growing momentum in India-Europe ties, Jaishankar noted that India and the European Union had this year concluded negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement, signed a Strategic and Defence Partnership, and finalised a Comprehensive Mobility Cooperation Framework.
He said these developments reflected the “growing depth” of the relationship.
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar arrived in Finland from Bulgaria on the concluding leg of his two-nation tour to participate in the Kultaranta Talks.
The annual dialogue, hosted by Finnish President Alexander Stubb, brings together senior leaders and policymakers to discuss global and regional security challenges.
