German Chancellor Scholz says Jaishankar’s ‘European mindset’ remark has a valid point

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in his address at the Munich Security Conference on Friday referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s famous “European mindset” remark and acknowledged that the Indian minister had made a valid point.

Jaishankar, during the 17th edition of the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum in Slovakia last year, while replying to a question on India’s stand in the Russia-Ukraine war had said, “Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.”

The German Chancellor on Friday said, “This quote from the Indian Foreign Minister is included in this year’s Munich Security Report and he has a point it wouldn’t be Europe’s problem alone if the law of the strong were to assert itself in international relations.”

He also said that to be a credible European or North American in Jakarta or  New Delhi, it is not enough to emphasize shared values.

“We have to generally address the interests and concerns of these countries as a basic prerequisite for joint action. And that’s why it was so important to me to not merely have representatives of Asia, Africa and Latin America at the negotiating table during the G-7 n Summit last June. I really wanted to work with these regions to find solutions to the main challenges they face growing poverty and hunger, partly as a consequence of Russia’s war, as well as the impact of climate change or COVID-19,” he explained.

Last year, during the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum, Jaishankar was asked why he thinks anyone will help New Delhi in case of a problem with China after it did not help others for Ukraine.

“Somewhere Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems. That if it is you, it’s yours, if it is me it is ours. I see reflections of that,” Jaishankra had pointed out.

“There is a linkage today which is being made. A linkage between China and India and what’s happening in Ukraine. China and India happened way before anything happened in Ukraine. The Chinese do not need a precedent somewhere else on how to engage us or not engage us or be difficult with us or not be difficult with us,” the minister had explained.

With ANI inputs