00:00Following the recent agreement with the US, the trade agreement, where you are now forced to wean Russia off of,
00:14wean India off of Russian oil.
00:16I think oil companies in India, as in Europe, as probably in other parts of the world, look at availability,
00:24look at costs, look at risks, and take the decisions that they feel is in their best interest.
00:30Mr. Jaychankar, one of your themes has been strategic autonomy.
00:38Following the recent agreement with the US, the trade agreement, where you are now forced to wean India off of
00:54Russian oil, does that not impact your strategic autonomy?
00:59Because that's how you were explaining it in the past.
01:03No, look, I think, one, we are very much wedded to strategic autonomy, because it's very much a part of
01:15our history and our evolution.
01:18And it's...
01:19But can you exercise the strategic autonomy today as much as you want?
01:23No, well, we do, and we've always done.
01:27I think, you know, it's something which is very deep, and it's something which cuts across the political spectrum as
01:37well.
01:38Where the energy issues are concerned, look, you know, this is today a complex market.
01:45I think oil companies in India, as in Europe, as probably in other parts of the world, look at availability,
01:53look at costs, look at risks, and take the decisions that they feel is in their best interest.
01:59So, I would say, and, you know, we have a position, which you know, on that.
02:04So, I don't, you know, want to rehash the polemics of that.
02:11I think that phase has passed.
02:14Today, when, you know, coming to Munich, very honestly, I'm kind of coming here in the afterglow of an India
02:22EU FTA, and a very successful visit of Chancellor Muts.
02:27So, I would rather, look, you know, we are not in 22, we are not in 23, we are not
02:35even in 25.
02:37So many things are changing, and so many of us are doing our calculations and recalculations.
02:43It's important for us to say, what are the touch points, what are the common grounds, where is it we
02:50can strengthen each other.
02:51We would not, I mean, we talk to each other quite often.
02:54We would not necessarily agree on everything, but I do believe that by doing that,
02:59and if there is an inclination to find common ground and overlaps, that would happen.
03:06But, if the bottom line of your question is, would I remain independent-minded and make my decisions,
03:13and, you know, would I make choices which sometimes may not agree with your thinking, or his thinking, or somebody
03:20else's thinking of that, yes, it can happen.
03:24Is your, this is a question for both of you.
03:28Is this new world order that's emerging one in which there are coalitions that get formed for specific issues,
03:38whether, sometimes it works for trade, sometimes this is the sort of the Mark Carney view of the future?
03:47I would say yes.
03:49A coalition is perhaps a good phrase.
03:52Not alliances, but specific coalitions, and, of course, that includes that, that is, this is, this is not only for
04:04one sector.
04:05You cannot have a coalition only orientated perhaps on the economic sector if you have not a common understanding,
04:12a basic understanding on other sectors as well.
04:15So, we are also cooperating on the defence sector very closely.
04:19We are cooperating when it comes to build resilience against climate change.
04:25We are cooperating when it comes to defending democracies and, and, and, and all these international rules-based standards and
04:33so on.
04:33So, this is, this is, this is, I would say, a, a new world, a good new world, is ahead,
04:42is achievable.
04:44Of course, we, we have to strengthen our, our efforts.
04:47The EU has to be, to, to become capable to, to be effective on that, on the world stage.
04:52We're working on that, as I said, just said, but for Germany, it's, it's absolutely clear that we are looking,
04:58uh, beyond Europe and not only, uh, over the Atlantic Ocean, uh, to the west, uh, where are our partners,
05:08where are our possible partners, uh, uh, on other continents and we are finding them.
05:13This is the fortunate situation we're in.
05:16This has often been India's strategy.
05:20Uh, yes, I mean, uh, I obviously, like most of us in the room, followed, uh, Prime Minister Carney's speech
05:29in Davos with a lot of attention.
05:31Uh, but bear in mind, you know, Carney is speaking as the Prime Minister of a alliance country, of a,
05:38of a treaty, uh, uh, partner.
05:41Uh, whereas, and for a treaty partner, in a way, this is new ground that he's breaking.
05:47Uh, whereas, uh, for a country like India, which never went into that kind of, uh, you know, treaty based
05:55relationships or alliances, we've been in that frame of mind for a long time.
06:00I mean, that is part of the strategic autonomy, uh, thinking, which belief that I spoke to you about.
06:07So, if you look at it, you know, we are, we have Quad, uh, which is with the U.S.,
06:13Japan, Australia, very important in the Indo-Pacific.
06:16We've had BRICS, uh, originally with, uh, Brazil, Russia, uh, China, then South Africa, now five more are added on.
06:24We have a number, you know, if I actually, uh, count them, I think we have probably more than 20
06:30of these trilateral or more than trilateral combinations.
06:33In fact, we just did one, uh, with Canada, with Mr. Carney, uh, India, Australia, and Canada, uh, on a
06:41second.
06:41You're deepening your relationship with Brazil as well, aren't you?
06:44Yes, yes, indeed.
06:45We have one with India, Brazil, South Africa.
06:47Uh, so we are, as three developing democratic, uh, countries.
06:51So, for us, this kind of, uh, coalition or working, working groups, call it what you would.
06:58But essentially, uh, uh, uh, an effective, practical agenda-based coming together of countries on a regular basis,
07:08this has been very much the hallmark of Indian diplomacy now for about two decades.
07:13I'm going to open it up for a question after this one for, um, Minister Vadeful.
07:19What, what do you think of the, uh, a world of, made up of spheres of influence?
07:27And what is your sphere?
07:31Yeah, that, that, of course, our, our sphere is, uh, is, of course, Europe.
07:36But I, of course, of course, I, I have to realize that there are powers who are, who are trying
07:44to have, uh, that spheres of, spheres of, of influence.
07:49And, of course, in a way, we have to build up resilience in Europe against that.
07:56So, that is a very, uh, a very good reason for us to look for these partners.
08:01And, and, like India does have a lot of partners, so do we, as Europeans, as Germans,
08:07with a long-lasting relationship with, with Japan, a big friendship.
08:11Uh, I was just in Australia and New Zealand and, uh, visited, uh, Singapore and the, the Pacific Islands.
08:18I will spend my next longer visit to Latin America, so being in Brazil, Argentina, perhaps also Chile.
08:25So, uh, we have a lot of partners and, uh, of course, I would have to mention the African continent
08:31as well.
08:31Uh, but I, I think the new thing is, uh, some years ago, and that was one of the first
08:39questions you raised here correctly,
08:41was, did you expect that very development?
08:44And, and, and I, I, I answered no, because some years ago, we also, we, firstly, considered these countries as
08:52being member of the BRICS.
08:54And, and, and, and, and that is, in a, in a, in a, in a sort of alienated us from
08:58them.
08:59And that was wrong.
09:01So, uh, now we realize that, of course, we have a lot of differences, uh, with, especially Russia, that has
09:12not to be underscored here.
09:13They are very, very fundamental.
09:15So, and also with China, but we have a lot of things in common with countries like India, like Brazil.
09:22And why not, uh, focusing on these common interests and common values.
09:28So, this is, I think, the new view Europe and Germany is, is putting on the work.
09:34It's very interesting.
09:35There was a question up there.
09:37Yes, go ahead.
09:39Well, thank you very much.
09:43Thank you very much.
09:44This is Dhalal Erakat from Palestine.
09:46I want to touch upon the India, Middle East, Europe economic corridor, the IMEK, which didn't, which we did not
09:52hear today.
09:53It is framed as a platform for connectivity, stability, and shared prosperity.
09:58How does India envision IMEK contributing to a regional stability in a way that is inclusive of Palestine and the
10:06Palestinian rights,
10:07and consistent with international law and the two-state solution,
10:11so that economic solutions and integration, and the trade road competition that brings also Europe and Germany to the board,
10:19do not proceed alongside political exclusion of the Palestinian rights?
10:25Uh, well, you know, we have a long-standing position on Palestine, which you're familiar with.
10:31Uh, and when we embarked with a set of partners of the IMEK, uh, the purpose of the IMEK is
10:39really to address connectivity logistics issues and improve the economy.
10:43So, I would be careful sort of mixing up the two issues.
10:48The purpose of the IMEK is not to solve the Palestinian issue or to, to somewhere contribute or strengthen or,
10:56uh, so I, I, you know,
10:59I, I, I do think each of those issues is important, but I would not take one as the solution,
11:05uh, for the other.
11:06Is IMEK progressing?
11:08It's something that I think President Trump was quite excited about.
11:11You know, uh, uh, uh, uh, answer is kind of yes, but not at the, uh, pace at which, uh,
11:20people, uh, initially expected it to,
11:22which is understandable, because there was a big, uh, conflict going on in the Middle East,
11:26and everybody's attention was on that conflict, but what I do see, I mean, uh, when I come to Europe,
11:33especially when I, uh, you know, meet people, countries, governments, leaders, businesses from Mediterranean Europe,
11:39but not only from Mediterranean Europe, from Germany as well, from France, uh, there's a big European interest in IMEK,
11:46there's a big Indian interest in IMEK, we are the two ends of it.
11:50Remember, this is the historical trade route of, you know, hundreds if not thousands of years.
11:56So, we are trying, you know, yesterday, I think, uh, Chancellor Mertz used this coming back from a vacation from
12:03history.
12:03I think when you come back from the vacation, you'll discover IMEK is also a part of history, which you
12:09need to reinvent.
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