India calls for resilient supply chains, diplomacy amid global conflicts

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday stressed the need for resilient and diversified supply chains, sustained diplomatic efforts and greater international cooperation to deal with the fallout of ongoing conflicts, saying their impact extends "far beyond the regions" where they occur. Participating in a discussion on "Emerging Powers and the New Geopolitical Competition" at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland, Jaishankar joined Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and UAE Assistant Foreign Minister Lana Nusseibeh in deliberations on shifting global power dynamics and contemporary security challenges. "Noted that ongoing conflicts are imposing costs and triggering changes far beyond the regions," Jaishankar said in a social media post after the discussion.
He said there was broad agreement that the international community must continue efforts to mitigate the consequences of conflicts and create conditions conducive to diplomacy. Jaishankar also emphasised the importance of "de-risking and diversifying" supply chains and "building greater resilience and redundancy in an increasingly volatile world".
On energy security, he reiterated that India's energy choices are guided by national interest and that purchases are based on considerations of affordability and availability. Referring to India's engagement with West Asia, Jaishankar underscored the centrality of the Gulf region in New Delhi's foreign policy, "underpinned by strong people-to-people ties, energy cooperation, and growing strategic and defence partnership".
Earlier, Dr Jaishankar reviewed the progress of India-Finland Strategic Partnership on Digitalisation and Sustainability with his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen in Helsinki. They discussed cooperation on start-ups, AI, semiconductors, critical minerals, quantum technologies, 6G, clean energy and space. Also agreed to deepen trade and investment, while maintaining the momentum of our political engagement.”