Atlanta: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the first plenary session of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta that military solutions would not resolve global challenges and that diplomacy must be given a chance, while warning that the Global South was paying a disproportionate price for attacks on shipping.

Addressing the session on Friday, the Minister stated that the Global South is disproportionately bearing the consequences of attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers. He emphasized that these disruptions are severely jeopardising the availability and cost of essential commodities such as fuel, food, and fertilisers.

Highlighting the need for international compliance, EAM Jaishankar pointed to the urgent requirement to preserve the freedom of navigation and ensure the cessation of attacks within the framework of international law, specifically UNCLOS. He also announced that India and Liberia have launched a joint initiative to safeguard seafarers globally.

Shifting focus to international trade, the Minister made a robust case for developing economies. He asserted that the right to industrialise is being undermined through market flooding, the weaponisation of supply chains, constricted market access, and artificial market distortions.

Furthermore, EAM Jaishankar cautioned against complacency regarding terrorism, warning that tactical calculations must not lead nations to overlook its grave dangers. Without naming any specific country, he noted that terrorism remains a high-risk activity that ultimately backfires on its practitioners.

The two-day ministerial meeting, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, concludes on Saturday. EAM Jaishankar is scheduled to participate in a Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting and hold several bilateral talks on the sidelines, according to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.