BIBHUDATTA PRADHAN
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has flagged international peace, supply chain resilience, and connectivity as critical anchors for Emerging and Middle Powers (EMPs). Speaking at the 62nd Munich Security Conference in New Delhi, he emphasized that these nations—spanning both the Global South and Global North—are uniting to secure greater global relevance amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.
He pointed out that the world is changing, its agenda and landscape is changing, and there is a substantial agenda for emerging and middle powers to cooperate.
Dr Jaishankar drove home the point that the changing landscape which drives the Emerging and Middle Powers debate is one of a repositioning of the US, the rise of China, and greater interdependence. He highlighted that EMPs’ approach is to de-risk and to diversify, and pursue agenda-based cooperation. He added that the resulting outcome is multipolarity, multi-alignment and small groups. He remarked that the emerging and middle powers have an interest in strengthening their interstate cooperation, but it is also natural that they would have cooperation with the US and China. He cited Quad as an example of emerging middle-power cooperation with an emerging power. He further stated that in the field of connectivity, there is the India-Middle East-Europe Connectivity Corridor, the International North-South Transport Corridor, and the Northern Sea Route. Dr Jaishankar stated that BRICS is an example of various parties who feel that their collective voice is much stronger than the individual ones.
Later, in conversation with President of Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, and State Secretary, Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, Bernard Kotsch, Dr Jaishankar said India has decades of high growth ahead and a demography which will sustain that level of growth. He observed that India has historically tended to look at the larger nations of Europe, which is not the case anymore, and India is in the process of intensifying its relationship with the EU. He added that advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI and space capabilities are areas where India-EU partnership can increase. The External Affairs Minister also highlighted that many Indian defence start-ups have found partners abroad and defence exports are growing rapidly.