External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the issue of terrorism and termed it a “perennial challenge” and said that the issue “needs to be dealt with a great deal of resolution and commitment.” He further stated that a plaque in Ireland’s Ahakista commemorates the victims of the Air India aircraft Kanishka bombing, which happened off the coast of Ireland in 1985.
In his speech on “India’s view of the world” at University College Dublin in Ireland on Friday, the EAM said, “Talking about conflict, perhaps a word on countering terrorism would also be appropriate, particularly as a foreign minister of a country which has long been at the receiving end of terrorist efforts. Ireland actually happens to have in the village of Ahakista, a commemorative plaque which commemorates the 329, I think victims of the Air India aircraft Kanishka bombing which happened off the coast of Ireland and it’s always a reminder that this is a perennial challenge which needs to be dealt with a great deal of resolution and commitment,” as quoted by news agency ANI.
During his speech, Jaishankar emphasised that conflicts are violent and traumatic and said that our attention is normally occupied by conflicts due to variety of reasons.
“I do want to make one broad observation about the state of the world, which is difficult to put it very mildly. For a variety of reasons, our attention is normally occupied by, say, conflicts. Conflicts are violent. They’re traumatic. It’s what you read about in the newspaper, you see on the TV, you look at the phones. But there is a lot that is happening which you do not necessarily read about,” the EAM said.
“Even on conflicts, there are by one estimate about 60 conflicts going on in the world, probably two or three get on a newspaper or a TV. Possibly the most troubling thing right now is there was an understanding that countries would reach their sustainable development goals by the end of this decade,” he further stated.
Jaishankar also cited UN assessment in terms of basic development indices. He said, “A year ago, the UN assessed that in terms of basic development indices, health, water, electricity, home, literacy, nutrition, we are about 17 per cent at the end of 4 years and what we should be achieving by the end of the decade. So, the state of the world is difficult, more conflict, pandemic after effects, extreme climate events, debt crisis, countries falling behind in their development and basic needs. So, what is it we can do more individually, bilaterally through other institutions, I think these are probably issues that we should be working, talking about.”
He reiterated India’s stance that differences in this era “cannot and should not be settled on the battlefield.” He called it important to return to dialogue and diplomacy to find ways to settle down conflicts.
“A particular word about conflicts because I think it is today a very dominating issue, where India is concerned, we have always taken the view that, you know, differences in this era cannot and should not be settled on the battlefield, that it is important to have dialogue and diplomacy to find ways of sitting down and talking, however difficult it is. It’s not that we have very specific descriptions here. Obviously the party, you know, the countries involved, the people involved have to do that, but again, as important voices of peace and as very responsible players, I think again India and Ireland would have thought processes in a very similar direction,” Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar called India and Ireland “fiercely independent polities.” He stated that the two nations have always been cautious regarding getting involved in politics and found their “own way” of expressing positions and interests in international forums.
