Indian minister slams "Europe's problem is world's problem" mindset

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India's External Affairs Minister, Subramaniam Jaishankar, criticized on Friday Europe for being "silent on many issues."

Responding to a question about India's measures in case the situation at the Indo-China border escalated - which Europe-based think tanks predict might happen in the future - Jaishankar considered that "somewhere Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problem but the world's problems are not Europe's problems."

Speaking at the GLOBSEC Forum in Slovakia's Bratislava, the Indian Minister indicated that "India and China happened way before anything happened in Ukraine," claiming that "the Chinese don't need a precedent somewhere else in the world to be or not be difficult with us."

It is noteworthy that India and China - after fighting a full-scale border war in 1962 - have long accused each other of trying to seize territory along their unofficial divide, which is known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Relations have soured dramatically since a June 2020 armed conflict along one section between Ladakh and Tibet.

Both sides have since reinforced the region with extra soldiers, military hardware and new infrastructure as multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks have failed to de-escalate tensions. 

Commenting on the war in Ukraine, Jaishankar pointed out that the war is a "great concern" for India's population.

He explained that the war "is a major concern for India's population for two reasons; everyone is interconnected," and secondly, "India is a very digital society and has much awareness, it is impacting people's daily lives through the rising prices of petrol, wheat, and more."