German Chancellor Quotes Jaishankar's Viral Remark Over ‘European Mindset'

German Chancellor Oalf Scholz cited External Affairs Minister of India S. Jaishankar's viral remark over the "European mindset."

On Friday, during the Munich Security Conference, the German Chancellor suggested a shift in the so-called "mindset" and asserted that Jaishankar has "a point."

"This quote from the Indian Foreign Minister is included in this year's Munich Security Report, and he has a point: it wouldn't be Europe's problem alone if the law of the strong were to assert itself in international relations. We have to generally address the interests and concerns of these countries as a basic prerequisite for joint action. And that's why it was so important to me to not merely have representatives of Asia, Africa, and Latin America at the negotiating table during the G-7 Summit last June. I really wanted to work with these regions to find solutions to the main challenges they face, including growing poverty and hunger, partly as a consequence of Russia's war, as well as the impact of climate change, or COVID-19."

EAM S. Jaishankar’s remark

When asked about India's position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict during the 17th GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum in Slovakia last year, Jaishankar responded, "Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's issues are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems."

When asked why he thought someone would assist New Delhi in the case of a dispute with China when it failed to assist others for Ukraine, Jaishankar said, "Somewhere Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems. That if it's you, it's yours; if it's me, it's ours. I see reflections of that."