Atlanta [US], October 31 : India asserted on Friday that military solutions cannot resolve global challenges and that diplomacy must be given an opportunity to settle such matters.
Speaking during the first plenary session of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also flagged attacks affecting civilian shipping and seafarers, underscoring the vital requirement to uphold freedom of navigation and halt assaults under international legal frameworks, particularly UNCLOS.
"Emphasised that in the face of global challenges, military solutions will not work and diplomacy must be given a chance," Jaishankar stated via X, outlining key points delivered during the sessions hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Jaishankar's remarks unfolded amid ongoing conflicts across various regions, encompassing the Russia-Ukraine war and mounting tensions in West Asia.
Furthermore, Jaishankar pointed out that developing economies are being deprived of their right to industrialise through market flooding, the weaponisation of supply chains, constricted market access and artificial distortions. "This must cease," he stated, while highlighting the necessity of establishing resilient, alternative connectivity networks as international markets undergo de-risking and diversification.
"Tactical calculations should not lead to overlooking the dangers of terrorism. It is a high-risk activity which has come back to bite even the practitioners," he cautioned.
Highlighting regional vulnerabilities, Jaishankar noted that the Global South bears an unfair share of the fallout from assaults on civilian shipping and seafarers, which severely jeopardises the affordability and availability of fuel, food and agricultural nutrients. Statistics indicate that at least 22 Indian nationals, comprising 14 seafarers, have lost their lives since the war began in West Asia in February this year.
Having arrived in Atlanta on Thursday evening, Jaishankar interacted with his counterparts from numerous nations ahead of the formal proceedings.
Opening the two-day deliberations, Rubio cautioned delegates that the international community faces a decisive moment amid escalating economic and geopolitical turbulence.
"I hope this will be a productive meeting today, as we are in a critical moment. I would call it a moment of choosing, and I would say not just for my country, the United States of America, but frankly, for the world," Rubio stated to the assembly, which included Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, positioned between representatives from Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
Addressing the broader landscape of global crises, Rubio noted, "We are facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises, many of which pose severe threats to essential foundations of the global economic order, new disruptions and strains to global energy and food markets, to the global supply chain, to trade, to freedom of navigation itself."
He added that participating economies must collaborate to reinforce financial resilience and safeguard commercial markets.
The high-level discussions take place against a backdrop of pronounced divisions among G20 nations regarding international disputes.
"At today's G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, I made clear that maritime and food security drive economic security. Through our America First agenda, the United States is encouraging partners to protect shipping routes, strengthen food security, and reduce the economic consequences of geopolitical crises," Rubio posted on X after his address.
According to a State Department release issued on Tuesday, Washington intends to collaborate closely with G20 partners throughout the ministerial to counteract geopolitical pressures causing international economic shocks, specifically targeting threats to freedom of navigation, energy stability, food security and supply networks.
The United States is scheduled to host the G20 Leaders' Summit in Miami on December 14-15.
On the sidelines of the Atlanta gathering, Jaishankar is also slated to participate in a Quad meeting alongside top diplomats from Japan, Australia and the United States. This marks the second Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting convened during the current year, preceding the anticipated leaders' summit scheduled to take place in the Philippines next month.
Upon concluding his engagements in Atlanta, Jaishankar will travel to Antigua and Barbuda to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting set for November 1-4.