Jaishankar meets UAE foreign minister, discusses bilateral and global issues

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated during a discussion on the theme of "Is this the middle power moment" at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum that India is a "power in the middle" due to its population of 1.4 billion and $4 trillion economy. The debate surrounding middle powers united to defend multilateralism gained momentum after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's call for such cooperation at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Jaishankar highlighted the emergence of groupings like the Quad and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor as examples of cooperation among middle powers. He emphasized that the world is heading towards a new order where shareholding is changing, the board of directors is expanding, and there is a greater need for active discussions about the future of Planet Earth.

The Canadian Foreign Minister's comments at Davos addressed the predicament of countries within alliances, who now have to make independent decisions and diverge from the US' path. Anand called upon middle powers to take a leadership role in shaping the new international order amid an "erasure of rules and principles" that have governed the world since World War II.

Canada has actively pursued this goal through 15 trade agreements, 20 security agreements, and multilateral arrangements like the G7 buyers club, working for the benefit of strategic autonomy and shared values.