External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said international cooperation is increasingly shifting towards flexible, issue-based partnerships among like-minded countries rather than formal institutional arrangements, as nations adapt to a changing global order.
Speaking at the NDTV World Summit 2026 on Thursday, Jaishankar exchanged views with Nepal's Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle on the future of multilateralism, regional cooperation and the growing preference for practical partnerships that can deliver tangible outcomes.
The discussion took place during a session titled 'The Geopolitics of Sovereign Choice', where Jaishankar delivered the keynote address and Wagle participated as a guest speaker, according to Nepal's National News Agency.
๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ
Wagle observed that the international order that emerged after the Cold War had placed considerable emphasis on multilateralism, particularly in trade and economic cooperation.
However, he said the foundations of that system had weakened in recent years amid growing geopolitical fragmentation and the expansion of competing trade blocs.
The Nepalese finance minister raised questions about how bilateral, trilateral and regional cooperation could be strengthened in areas such as disaster response, nutrition, energy and clean energy.
He also sought Jaishankar's views on whether such cooperation should be institutionalised through formal structures or pursued through mutual understanding and practical arrangements between partner countries.
Responding to the questions, Jaishankar said the international trend over the past two decades had increasingly favoured practical cooperation over elaborate institutional commitments.
๐๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ
Jaishankar said establishing formal international institutions often involved lengthy consultations, administrative procedures, financial commitments and the formulation of rules.
While acknowledging that institutional frameworks remained necessary in certain circumstances, he argued that not every form of international cooperation required such arrangements.
Citing the International Solar Alliance as an example of structured cooperation, he said the appropriate model depended on the issue being addressed, the participating countries and the commitments involved.
The External Affairs Minister also compared BRICS with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to illustrate the different ways in which international groupings function.
He pointed out that BRICS does not have its own secretariat and is not governed by a charter signed by all its members, unlike the SCO, which operates through a more formal institutional framework.
The comparison, he said, demonstrated that international cooperation did not need to follow a uniform organisational model.
"If you ask me about the trend, I would say, it is clearly shifting towards more ad-hoc arrangements and partnership between like-minded nations," Jaishankar said.
๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐
Jaishankar said India had established approximately 50 cooperative groupings over the past decade, ranging from trilateral and quadrilateral arrangements to broader partnerships involving countries with shared interests.
He said the growing preference for such arrangements reflected the desire among nations to minimise administrative costs while achieving measurable results.
According to the minister, flexible partnerships allow countries to respond to specific challenges without necessarily creating permanent institutions or committing to extensive bureaucratic structures.
His remarks came amid wider discussions on the future of international cooperation as countries reassess existing multilateral mechanisms in response to economic uncertainty and geopolitical changes.
๐ก๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ
During the discussion, Wagle expressed appreciation for India's assistance to Nepal following the devastating floods that struck the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river systems on August 26.
He said New Delhi had provided prompt support within hours of the disaster, highlighting the importance of cooperation between neighbouring countries during emergencies.
The Nepalese minister also recalled India's assistance following the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015.
Wagle's remarks underscored the importance of regional and sub-regional cooperation in responding to natural disasters and addressing shared developmental challenges.
The exchange between the two ministers highlighted the evolving nature of international partnerships, with both leaders discussing how countries could strengthen cooperation through arrangements suited to specific regional and global needs.