From Hamas terror to Canada row, here's what S Jaishankar spoke at HTLS 2023. Top quotes

External affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke on several issues relating to world politics, including the India-Canada row and India's relations with China and the US, at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS) 2023 on Saturday. “It’s been an extraordinarily, eventful, stormy period in world politics,” he said.

Here are the top quotes from S Jaishankar's interview with HT editor-in-chief R Sukumar at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit:

1. I think if one looks at the last decade, I could find many adjectives that would apply to different degrees. If I were to pick one, I would say fundamentally this country has become more competitive and more confident. When we have problems, the response right now…we have reached the level where we don’t duck the problems...we immediately start moving on it. This attitude today…a part of it is mindset, but a part of it is all the structural changes.
2. Globally, there has been a rollback in SDG progress. India’s record is different but globally that is very much the case.
3. We are seeing big impactful climate events with greater frequency, with a greater disruptive ability vis a vis the international economy.
4. Today, I think, the expectation that the US as the premier power would be able to do much of the heavy lifting by itself - that’s not a fair or realistic expectation anymore. The US itself recognises that which is why the US is looking for partners, looking to share responsibilities.
5. The willingness, the ability, the inclination to contribute to what is not narrowly defined as national interest is today, far less than what it used to be.
6. I think, we in India, need to be realistic. The world is difficult, the world will be difficult. That is why today, we need strong leadership, decisions, preparations, and systemic changes. There is no guarantee that the storm is going to get any better.
7. If the world gets serious about millets, it has enough potential, enough margin up there for a whole lot of countries who are today wondering where the food is going to come from, to at least feel secure about it.
8. H1B visas suddenly propelled India-US, which brought India into a certain zone of awareness and understanding in the US.
9. In the last 3 or 4 years, there is a very important factor that has come into play and that is really in a way the digital domain, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and chips. The stronger India is as a technology hub, if it can get into smart manufacturing, I think we have much more to offer to the world.
10. Since the Hamas terrorism we saw on Oct 7, we are now about 4 weeks since then. I had a talk with my Israeli counterpart, he was sharing with me their expectations and analysis of the challenges…It’s a very complex situation with a lot of possibilities that are not fully apparent.
11. On India-Canada row: There is room for diplomacy, my hope is that we find a way…There are many countries where there is freedom of speech and expression. But that cannot be a license to violence and intimidation or to propagate separatism and worse. The problem that we have faced, we have seen activities that have been justified in the name of freedom.
12. In terms of the initiatives, there was enormous interest in IMEC. Because Europeans do see today the need to have more efficient, smoother logistical passage to India, given the fact that Europe will remain a major hub of the global economy and India will also grow in economic weight