NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Europe to show greater sensitivity and mutuality of interest if it wants deeper ties with India.
He also said that New Delhi is looking for “partners, not preachers.”
Speaking at the ‘Arctic Circle India Forum’, Jaishankar highlighted India’s long-standing advocacy of ‘Russia realism’, pointing at the ‘important fit’ and ‘complementarity’ between the two countries.
He described Russia as a resource provider and India as a resource consumer.
He also criticised past Western efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict without even involving Russia. He called such attempts a challenge to ‘the basics of realism.’
"Just like I am an advocate of Russian realism, I am also an advocate of American realism,” Jaishankar said.
"I think the best way to engage today’s America is also through finding mutuality of interests rather than putting ideological differences upfront and then allowing it to cloud the possibilities of working together,” he added.
Responding to a question on India’s expectations from Europe, the minister said Europe must move beyond preaching and act based on shared interests.
“When we look out at the world, we look for partners; we do not look for preachers, particularly preachers who do not practise at home but preach abroad,” he said.
"I think parts of Europe are still struggling with that problem. Parts of them have changed,” he noted, suggesting that Europe has entered “a certain zone of reality check.”
"Now, whether they can step up to it or not, it is something we will have to see,” he added.
Laying out the conditions for building a stronger partnership, Jaishankar said: ”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 works in progress to differing degrees in different parts of Europe,” he said.