New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said on Saturday that India, Europe, and Germany should work together to build their trust levels to the highest level.
He was speaking in an interactive session alongside German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at the Munich Security Conference.
“Relationships don’t happen just through visits and agreements, headline news, or even discussions here. They require a lot of comfort-building. At different levels within the system, people need to know each other, call each other, discuss with each other, and throw ideas at each other. We need India and Europe, and India and Germany, to work to build that level of comfort, which I think is eminently feasible. That is really what I see as the task before us,” Jaishankar said in a series of posts on X.
He also said that India remains firmly committed to its policy of “strategic autonomy”, with decisions on energy procurement guided by considerations such as cost, risk, and supply stability. Jaishankar described the global energy market as “complex”, noting that Indian oil companies will make decisions based on what they believe serves their best interests.
The minister also participated in a roundtable titled “Delhi Decides: Mapping India’s Policy Calculus”, where he spoke about the significance of the India-EU FTA and the India-US trade deal. He also met with G7 foreign ministers and conveyed New Delhi’s support for the UN@80 agenda, particularly meaningful reform of the UN Security Council.
“Emphasised our role in safeguarding sea lines of communication, serving as a first responder, strengthening port security, and contributing to resilient submarine cable infrastructure. Our conversation brought out the many convergences and shared interests between India and the G7,” he said.
