- Monday, April 29, 2024
The diplomat said the world was witnessing the rise of India at a time when the international situation is tense.
By: Shubham Ghosh
GERMANY is watching with admiration as India gears up for the world’s largest elections commencing on April 19. According to Berne’s ambassador in New Delhi, Philipp Ackermann, regardless of the outcome of the elections, “more of India” will garner attention on the global stage.
Addressing a gathering at an event hosted by a leading private university in New Delhi on Monday (15), he also said the Indian presidency of the G20 bloc “gave us a little taste of that”.
In his speech, he talked about the Iran-Israel conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war and many other ongoing or unresolved issues around the world.
“In the midst of this very, very difficult situation, I can’t remember the world being in such a difficult times than (it is) now. We see from Europe, from European Union’s perspective, clearly how much India is rising. We observe with admiration the world’s biggest election that is starting on Friday. This is quite an exercise, this is a festival of democracy,” Ackermann said.
Read: How Modi linked Iran-Israel clash with India general elections
#WATCH | German Ambassador to India Dr Philipp Ackermann says, "We are very excited about the elections, this is the biggest election in the world. It is starting on Friday and we will have it going on for seven weeks in the whole of India. It is a fantastic exercise. We are very… pic.twitter.com/xIGFDVqA2p
— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2024
The envoy said “no matter what happens in these elections, no matter who will be winning this election, I think we will see more of India on the international stage”.
Read: Warring sides in India’s Manipur agree on one point: Not right time to hold polls
“The G20 presidency gave us a little taste of that. India claims a seat at the big table, and we, Germans and Europeans, think rightfully so. Whether it’s the UNSC or elsewhere, India is, and has to become more visible and recognised,” he added.
India’s yearlong presidency of the influential bloc had begun on December 1, 2022, leading up to the G20 Summit last September where the New Delhi Declaration was announced.
“The New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit held on September 9-10 brought the deliberations under our G20 Presidency to a successful culmination. With G20 including all P5 countries, and accounting for 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of world trade and two-thirds of world population, it was the highest profile international gathering in the history of independent India,” reads a synopsis on G20 Indian presidency website.
The theme — ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, drawing upon its age-old belief of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family) — was endorsed by all.
“With over 200 meetings in 60 Indian cities in all our 28 states and 8 UTs, across 40 different mechanisms including Sherpa and Finance Track Working Groups, as well as Engagement Groups, the size, scale and scope of India’s G20 Presidency was unprecedented,” it says. The German ambassador said it is a role “India deserves”, like no other country.
“But it is a role, one should not forget that comes with high hopes also. More than ever, India will be assessed by many. Not only the countries of the so-called ‘Global South’, but its international appearance and policies will be vetted,” Ackermann said.
And now many governments are reaching out to India, including the German government, “as we expect India to play a bigger role in international politics”, he said.
“But, you should not forget, it is a difficult undertaking, the job is not easy, and hopes and expectations are different. Let’s say Russian expectations from India are different from US expectations of India. How will India manage to find its way in this new sort of role,” the envoy said.
The event was hosted by the OP Jindal Global University and the envoy delivered his address on ‘India-Europe Partnership in a Multipolar World’.
“It is in India’s interests to develop a strong and solid partnership with Europe, including with Germany. I think, we are very much on the way… Both India and Europe have a profound interest to maintain the international rules-based order,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
