'We cannot remain helpless spectators': Jaishankar presses for 'dialogue and diplomacy' amid Ukraine, West Asia conflicts

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that a "war anywhere is threat to peace everywhere", raising concerns over the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia and their far-reaching impact on people and economies across the world.Speaking at the Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav Global Sammelan in Delhi on the occasion of UN Day, Jaishankar reiterated India's position that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only way to resolve conflicts, as he referred to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran in West Asia.“There are today two major conflicts going on in the world: in Ukraine and in West Asia or the Middle East.

Societies and economies, peoples far away, who have little say in the matter, are actually paying the cost,” the minister said. Stressing that the international community could not afford to remain a silent spectator, Jaishankar said India was making its own efforts towards resolving the conflicts and was willing to work with other countries to restore peace. “We cannot remain helpless spectators.

India expresses global sentiment when we urge that dialogue and diplomacy are the only solution. We are making efforts ourselves and are open to working with other partners to that end,” he added.‘Terrorism can never be justified’The external affairs minister also flagged terrorism as another major threat to global peace, saying its use as an “instrument of statecraft” was "simply unacceptable" and could neither be justified nor rationalised."Terrorism is another deadly threat to peace," he said, adding that the threat continued because not all countries displayed zero tolerance towards it."Despite history holding so many lessons, some still allow political calculations to take precedence," Jaishankar said, calling for greater global awareness and stronger collective action to counter terrorism in all its forms.Linking global peace to economic development, Jaishankar said progress and prosperity were equally interconnected, particularly in a world dependent on global supply chains, markets and shared resources.“Progress and prosperity are the flip side of conflict and violence,” the minister said."The world cannot advance half prosperous and half denied in an era of intricate supply chains, of globalized markets, and of common resources.

This is simply a prescription for continuous instability," he added.(With ANI, PTI inputs)