External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared a veiled message for Europe on Sunday — noting that India was looking for “partners and not preachers”. The remarks came during an interactive session that saw the top official explaining the nuances of nuances of New Delhi’s “Russia realism” and why the relationship between the two sides is an “important fit”.
“When we look out at the world, we look for partners. We do not look for preachers. Particularly preachers who do not practice at home and preach abroad. I think some of Europe is still struggling with that problem. Some of it has changed…Europe has entered a certain zone of reality check. Now whether they are able to step up to it or not, it is something we will have to see,” he said.
Jaishankar however noted that there had to be “some understanding and sensitivity” if a partnership was to be developed from the Indian standpoint. The External Affairs Minister criticised the past Western belief that a solution to the conflict in Ukraine could emerge without involving Russia. He also hailed the “important fit and complementarity” between India and Russia as a “resource provider and resource consumer” to underscore his point.
“But from our point of view, if we are to develop a partnership, there has to be some understanding, there has to be some sensitivity, there has to be a mutuality of interest and there has to be a realisation of how the world works. And I think these are all work in progress to differing degrees with different parts of Europe. So some have moved further, some a little bit less,” Jaishankar noted.
