Dilaogue, diplomacy only solution to conflicts: Jaishankar

Emphasising that this is not an era of war, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the only solution to the conflicts in West Asia and Europe is dialogue and diplomacy.

In remarks to the media after a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Velislava Petrova-Chamova in Bulgaria, he highlighted how the world is passing through an exceptionally volatile and uncertain future with multiple major conflicts.

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He also mentioned how as the voice of the Global South, India has highlighted concerns about energy, food and fertilizer security with a call for unimpeded maritime trade.

“Where economic risks are concerned, the answer is in supply chain resilience and in further diversification. It is important that maritime trade is neither impeded nor endangered. On behalf of the Global South, India has also repeatedly underlined concerns of energy, food and fertilisers,” Jaishankar said.

“As for terrorism, the world must be clear on zero tolerance. On all these issues, there was a meeting of minds between India and Bulgaria,” he added.

During his visit, Jaishankar interacted with the senior leadership with discussions focusing on bilateral cooperation, partnership between India and the European Union and what the two countries can do together going forward.

On Wednesday, high-level talks were held with Bulgarian leaders, including Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova, focusing on expanding bilateral cooperation across a wide range of sectors and strengthening India’s engagement with Bulgaria and the European Union.

During his talks with his Bulgarian counterpart, Jaishankar noted that both sides “reviewed the full spectrum of India-Bulgaria relations and explored new avenues for cooperation, particularly in the context of the India-EU FTA negotiations conclusion, the Strategic & Defence Partnership, and the Comprehensive Mobility Cooperation Framework.”

Jaishankar is also scheduled to visit Finland during his ongoing foreign tour.