S Jaishankar said India is trying to use the G20 presidency to address climate change. (document)
Nicosia:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today stressed that during its G20 presidency, India intends to address affordability and access to energy, food and fertilizers “very strongly” as economies in the global south suffer.
India officially assumed the G20 rotating presidency on December 1. The next G20 Heads of State/Government level leaders summit is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 9-10 next year.
Jaishankar, who made his first official visit to Cyprus as India and Cyprus celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, pointed out at a business event that the efficiency and delivery of global supply chains is a common concern of all countries in the world today.
Today, affordability and access to energy, food and fertilizers “is not just our concern…it is a concern of the larger Global South. It is certainly an issue that we intend to focus on very strongly during our G20 presidency , we have held on December 1,” he said.
The conflict in Ukraine has halted agriculture and agricultural exports on which much of the world depends. The fallout from the shortage has been a surge in inflation, with prices of staples such as vegetable oil and sugar rising by more than 50%. The war also led to sharp increases in energy prices and volatility in energy markets.
India is also trying to use the G20 presidency to address climate change, S Jaishankar said.
Noting that the issue of climate action is a global concern, the past few years, he said, “have actually made each of us realize that this is not a hypothetical threat. It’s not something we say will happen someday in the future… …I think it (climate change issue) is getting more and more attention for fragile terrain”.
S Jaishankar said that as a country with 17% of the world’s population, India is responsible for 5% of the world’s emissions today, but “our commitment to fighting climate change is 100%”.
“Not only are we leading by scaling up renewable energy at scale domestically, we’re working on a major initiative right now using the G20 presidency to drive this is actually advocating for lifestyle change,” he said.
S Jaishankar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also feels very strongly that changing lifestyles can actually have a significant impact on the environment.
India is also a leader in two international initiatives – the International Solar Alliance and the Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Alliance, the minister said.
At a time when global pressure is driving the world away from the Paris climate pledges and the commitments of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, India will stand by both.
“Among the G20 countries, we are on track to deliver early on whatever we agreed to do in the Paris agreement,” he said.
S Jaishankar said seven areas of cooperation between India and Cyprus should be studied.
“Of course, one of them is the financial world… because Cyprus is an important route for money to flow into India. If you look at an economy, it’s growing at a rate of cent plus one-sixth a year… We are getting more and more more important partners,” he said.
The second area is shipping, Jaishankar said, because India is doing everything it can to transform it not only into a stronger manufacturing power but also as a more competitive agricultural exporter.
“So there will be more product coming out of India, given the growth rate I set before you came into India,” he said.
The third area of cooperation is tourism. “The coming wave will be Indian tourists,” Jaishankar said.
The fourth area of cooperation is the knowledge economy.
“My fifth point is that we have to promote a culture of mobility. In a needy world, there is not necessarily a demographic advantage. So, how do we balance population and demand? I think that’s going to be a huge challenge.
“Today, we are negotiating mobility and immigration agreements with some member states of the European Union. We have successfully done this with Portugal, Denmark, France and Germany… I would like to emphasize that today India is a source of talent and Skills. In a world of globalization and a knowledge-driven economy, I think these flows are something we need to address,” Jaishankar said.
S Jaishankar said that given that India and Cyprus have a good relationship with each other, it is also worth considering cooperating in a third country, possibly in Africa or elsewhere in the world, with both New Delhi and Nicosia having some historical presence.
Finally, the minister said he wanted to emphasize that the Mediterranean Sea is an area of increasing interest to India.
“As foreign minister of a country that is globalizing very rapidly, its footprint, interests and influence will expand over time…and in doing so…there will certainly be more India in this (Mediterranean) region . When this happens, when this happens to us, the relationship with Cyprus will be the backbone of that,” he said.
(Aside from the title, this story is unedited by NDTV staff and published via a syndicated feed.)
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