External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday called for greater international efforts to resolve the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, warning that wars have consequences far beyond the regions where they are being fought.
Speaking at the Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav Global Sammelan in Delhi on the occasion of UN Day, Jaishankar said the ongoing conflicts were affecting people and economies worldwide, including those with little influence over the developments.
“war anywhere is threat to peace everywhere”, the minister said, reiterating India's position that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward to end conflicts.
“There are today two major conflicts going on in the world: in Ukraine and in West Asia or the Middle East. Societies and economies, peoples far away, who have little say in the matter, are actually paying the cost,” the minister said.
Referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran in West Asia, Jaishankar stressed that the international community could not afford to remain a passive observer.
“We cannot remain helpless spectators. India expresses global sentiment when we urge that dialogue and diplomacy are the only solution. We are making efforts ourselves and are open to working with other partners to that end,” he added.
Jaishankar flags terrorism as threat to peace
The external affairs minister also highlighted terrorism as a continuing challenge to global stability, criticising the use of violence as a tool of state policy.
"Terrorism is another deadly threat to peace," he said, arguing that the problem persisted because some countries had failed to adopt a zero-tolerance approach.
He said the international community needed to recognise the danger and work collectively to counter terrorism, warning against allowing political considerations to override the lessons of history.
"Despite history holding so many lessons, some still allow political calculations to take precedence," Jaishankar said.
Global peace linked to prosperity
Jaishankar also underlined the connection between peace and economic progress, pointing to the interconnected nature of global markets, supply chains and shared resources.
“Progress and prosperity are the flip side of conflict and violence,” the minister said.
"The world cannot advance half prosperous and half denied in an era of intricate supply chains, of globalized markets, and of common resources. This is simply a prescription for continuous instability," he added.
His remarks underscored India's call for diplomatic engagement to address conflicts and the wider economic and security challenges they create.