India has stressed that diplomacy, rather than military action, remains the most effective way to address the growing number of global crises, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar using the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta to call for greater international engagement and dialogue.

Addressing the first plenary session of the gathering hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jaishankar said, “Emphasised that in the face of global challenges, military solutions will not work and diplomacy must be given a chance.” His remarks came against the backdrop of continuing conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war and escalating tensions across West Asia.

The minister also drew attention to attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers, warning that such incidents are having a disproportionate impact on developing nations. He highlighted the “urgent need to preserve the freedom of navigation and ensure cessation of attacks within the framework of international law, especially UNCLOS”.

Jaishankar noted that countries across the Global South are paying a particularly heavy price for disruptions to maritime trade, with attacks on shipping threatening the availability and affordability of fuel, food and agricultural nutrients.

The issue is of particular concern for India, with at least 22 Indian nationals, including 14 seafarers, having lost their lives since the outbreak of the West Asia conflict in February this year.

Underscoring broader economic concerns, Jaishankar argued that developing economies are increasingly being denied their right to industrialise through market flooding, the weaponisation of supply chains, restricted market access and artificial distortions. “This must cease,” he said, while advocating resilient and alternative connectivity networks as countries pursue economic de-risking and diversification strategies.

The minister also delivered a pointed warning on terrorism, stating, “Tactical calculations should not lead to overlooking the dangers of terrorism. It is a high-risk activity which has come back to bite even the practitioners.”

The focus on secure shipping lanes reflects growing international concerns over maritime disruptions, which have strained global supply chains, increased transport costs and heightened uncertainty in energy and commodity markets. India has consistently argued that freedom of navigation is essential for economic stability and sustainable growth.

Jaishankar arrived in Atlanta on Thursday evening and held interactions with several foreign counterparts before the formal sessions began. On the sidelines of the summit, he is also expected to participate in a Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting alongside representatives from the United States, Japan and Australia, ahead of a leaders’ summit in the Philippines next month.

Opening the two-day ministerial discussions, Rubio warned delegates that the world was facing a “moment of choosing” amid mounting economic and geopolitical instability. “We are facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises, many of which pose severe threats to essential foundations of the global economic order, new disruptions and strains to global energy and food markets, to the global supply chain, to trade, to freedom of navigation itself,” he said.

Rubio further emphasised that G20 nations must work together to strengthen economic resilience and protect commercial markets. Following the session, he reiterated that maritime and food security are key pillars of economic security and said the United States was encouraging partners to safeguard shipping routes, strengthen food security and minimise the economic fallout from geopolitical crises.

The Atlanta meeting takes place amid continuing differences among G20 members over several international conflicts and major geopolitical flashpoints. The United States will host the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Miami on 14-15 December.

Following his engagements in Atlanta, Jaishankar is scheduled to travel to Antigua and Barbuda to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from 1-4 November.

ANI