New Delhi, January 2
Voicing “very deep” concern over the Ukraine conflict, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said India is on the side of peace and New Delhi’s effort has been to bring Moscow and Kyiv to return to dialogue and diplomacy as differences cannot be settled through violence.
“This conflict is really a matter of very, very deep concernhellip; PM Modi declared in September (that) we actually genuinely believe that this is no longer an era of war. You cannot settle differences and issues through violence,” Jaishankar said, adding PM Modi had been in contact with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, pressing them to return to dialogue and diplomacy.
Jaishankar, who arrived here from Cyprus on the second leg of his two-nation tour, made the remarks while delivering a joint press statement after talks with Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg.
“We are also increasingly anxious about the knock-on effects of the conflict in terms of accessibility and affordability of fuel, food and fertilisers. This is a growing concern for the Global South,” he observed.
On the need for overhaul of the UN, Jaishankar said the 77-year-old organisation needed a “refresh”. Terming India’s G20 Presidency a “very big deal”, the EAM said the country had taken up the responsibility to host the meetings of the powerful grouping at a time when there was great economic stress on the global supply chains and strong political polarisation in the world.
After signing another mobility agreement with a European country, Jaishankar said such agreements were a “significant pathway to ensure that the world is actually a global workplace for Indians”. A “Red-White-Red Card Working Holiday” programme was also signed with Austria, a first with any country. Under this, students can work in Austria for six months.
Mobility pact
Terming the mobility agreement as strategically important, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said, “We had exploding numbers of Indians coming illegally via Serbia. In 2021, we had 600 asylum applications from Indian citizens. And, suddenly these reached 18,000 last year.”