India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar made a strong pitch against terrorism at a G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in the United Nations on Thursday. He highlighted how nations battling terrorist networks, like in India’s Operation Sindoor earlier this year, actually help the entire world stay safer.
Jaishankar called terrorism a major roadblock to global peace and development. “Given the extensive networking among terrorists, those who act against them on any front actually render a larger service to the international community as a whole,” he told the ministers. While he didn’t name Operation Sindoor directly—the Indian military strike on terrorist hideouts inside Pakistan—his message was unmistakable. “A persistent threat to development is that perennial disruptor of peace, terrorism,” he added. He urged the world to show zero tolerance for such activities.
This comes as India wraps up its G20 presidency from last year, passing the baton to South Africa. Jaishankar also took aim at double standards in international sanctions tied to the Russia-Ukraine war. He pointed out how these measures create chaos in supplies and logistics, driving up costs and access issues for many countries. “Double standards are clearly in evidence,” he said. Without naming the U.S., he referenced punitive tariffs India faced for buying Russian oil. “By threatening development, we cannot facilitate peace,” Jaishankar stressed, noting how energy and food price spikes hurt everyone, especially in an fragile global economy.
He pushed for smarter diplomacy in conflicts like Ukraine and Gaza. “In any conflict situation, there will be a few who have the ability to engage both sides,” Jaishankar said. He suggested the international community tap countries that can connect warring parties to build and sustain peace. This echoes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where Modi has called for a peaceful end to the war, saying it’s “not the time for war.”
Jaishankar tied it all to the Global South’s struggles. Rising prices for energy, food, and fertilizers from these conflicts have hit developing nations hardest. He called for reforming outdated institutions like the UN to better tackle terrorism and economic pressures. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres agreed, urging leaders to rebuild trust in global cooperation. “Let us work together to reaffirm peace as the surest path to sustainable economic development, and multilateralism the anchor of a safer, fairer future for all,” Guterres said.
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