Era when few powers exercised influence is behind us: Jaishankar

NEW DELHI: The era when a few powers held excessive influence over the reshaping of the global order is now a thing of the past, said external affairs minister, S Jaishankar on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, Jaishankar emphasized the growing responsibility of India and South Korea to actively contribute to the process of reshaping the global order in today’s uncertain and volatile world.
He stated that India’s partnership with South Korea is becoming increasingly significant and acknowledged that the shift towards a more collaborative and broad-based endeavor in the reshaping of the global order has replaced the disproportionate influence once wielded by a few powers.
“India and South Korea have a growing responsibility to actively contribute to the reshaping of the global order. The era when a few powers exercised disproportionate influence over that process is now behind us,” the external affairs minister said.
“Willy-nilly, it has become a more collaborative and broad-based endeavour. That multilateralism has also stalled and being replaced in good measure by plurilateralism is a factor as well,” he added.
Jaishankar highlighted that issues such as countering terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction proliferation, and ensuring maritime safety and security are of fundamental importance to both India and South Korea. He further explained that the concept of the Indo-Pacific has emerged as a result of geopolitical shifts in recent decades.
“In recent years, challenges like terrorism and WMD proliferation have impacted our national security. We have learnt to be sensitive to changing currents of the global order. While our solutions may be suited to our particular national circumstances, working together has always been to our common advantage,” he said.
During his speech, Jaishankar emphasized India’s obligation to the global commons and its duty to contribute to the global good.
“India’s stakes in terms of trade, investment, services, resources, logistics and technology in the Indo-Pacific are growing by the day. Ensuring the stability, safety and security of this region is therefore vital for us. We have an obligation to the global commons, just as we have a duty to do global good,” he said.
The minister also emphasized the need to broaden horizons and seize the opportunities presented by emerging technologies.