Dr S. Jaishankar also co-chaired the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Global economics, politics and demographics have made the world “more multipolar” in which soft powers such as the UAE has a key role, India’s foreign minister said on Thursday, adding that globalisation has to correct its faults “to broaden its benefits”.
Dr S. Jaishankar also noted that India has immensely benefited from its close ties with the UAE.
“I think the economics of the world, the politics of the world, and the demographic of the world is making the world more multipolar. And I would argue that it is actually the natural diversity of the world, which got distorted in history, which is now kind of coming back into play,” Jaishankar said
Jaishankar, who is on an official visit to the UAE was speaking in an event at Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) in Abu Dhabi.
Talking about the UAE’s role in such a multipolar world, Jaishankar said, “I find it very fascinating because in many ways the UAE has truly become the kind of global crossroads of this region.”
About twenty years back the list of top five global cities could be different, but “today the UAE as a country and Dubai as a city would definitely feature out there,” the minister affirmed.
“The association with the UAE has been very beneficial to India as it shapes and influences our thinking. It gives us opportunities to work with another modernistic, progressive society, which is why it is a pleasure to always come here,” Jaishankar said.
The external affairs minister said: “There is certain modernism and progressiveness in the UAE and debates here do not look at problems of the present and past only but it is a polity, which is actually trying to address the opportunities as well as the challenges.”
“For a big oil producer [UAE] to actually have such a big commitment to renewables such as hydrogen, I think, it is a very major statement,” the minister said.
In the next 25 years one huge factor of change is going to be demography, which will favour India as it is likely to be the most populous nation in the world, the federal minister said.
Point out that the many established established powers of today will go through an enormous demographic change in the next 25 years, Jaishankar said: “So, if I were to look at the economy, if I were to look at the demographic, if I were to look at the technology, I think a lot of these trends really point for us in a good direction.”
However, he does not support the argument on the declining power of the US, a global superpower. “I am not a votary, frankly, of this declining US [theory]. I would say the evidence points to the US reinventing itself.”
Talking about the Quad grouping, which includes UAE and India, and the I2U2 Group, where too both the countries are integral members, the minister said he believes that this form of diplomacy is going to stay, reported Emirates News Agency.
Further Jaishankar expressed his confidence about the future of I2U2 Group, highlighting the latest developments such as the recent top-level Leaders’ Summit and launching two important projects on food corridor and green energy. “There are a lot of interesting ideas on business, innovation and technology that are also evolving,” the top diplomat said.
“I think there’s a market out there, there’s a gap out there, there is an attraction among countries to find this kind of solution,” Jaishankar said.
The minister also talked about how globalisation had created a fragile world.
“What was projected as a solution to a lot of challenges for the entire world, [and while contributing so] the globalisation itself created challenges such as inequities between states, within societies. It created winners and losers. It has actually created overconcentration in some places,” he said
Globalisation has to correct itself and broaden the ownership base and broaden the benefits of globalisation, the external affairs minister said in response to a question from WAM.
Earlier, Jaishankar co-chaired the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Both of them assessed the significant progress made in multiple domains of cooperation.
ALSO READ: India, UAE discuss boosting cooperation in education
[soliloquy id="151345"]