What happened?
Delivering his 1st significant foreign policy lecture for the new year 2025, External affairs minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar delivered the 19th Nani A. Palkivala Memorial Lecture in Mumbai on January 18, 2025.
Why it matters to India
In his lecture, Dr. S. Jaishankar spoke in length about the wide expanse of areas covered in the ambit of Indian foreign policy and underlined India’s diplomatic approach in the last decade. EAM argued that “India’s approach can be summed up in terms… mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest.” Deliberating further on India’s image in the world, EAM stated that the “[g]rowing on the tradition of openness, we see our position as that of the Vishwabandhu, a reliable partner and a dependable friend. Our endeavour is to maximise friendships and minimise problems”. EAM suggested that this is done by taking India’s interests into consideration.