‘India is friends with everybody’: Swiss state secretary confident in nation's positive global role

NEW DELHI:

Swiss state secretary Alexandre Fasel

has underscored India’s potential to play a larger and constructive role in global affairs, citing its strong diplomatic ties with all nations and its leadership within the

Global South

.
In an interview with ANI, the state secretary emphasized the need for a negotiated resolution to the ongoing

Russia-Ukraine war

, saying that long-term victory cannot be achieved solely on the battlefield.
He said, "We certainly hope that this conflict can come to an end. We believe that typically in that sort of conflict, the end of the conflict can only be a negotiated one. You do not win on the battlefield in the long run. So there are many different aspects in that conflict. There is the immediate aspect of the warring parties that need to come to a ceasefire and to solve their bilateral problems. There is a wider aspect of geopolitical strategy with arms control and disarmament and there is a wider European aspect about the European security architecture. Those are questions that need to be discussed and we hope that time is ripe to enter into serious discussions on those different aspects.”
When asked about PM Modi’s global engagement and constructive influence, Fasel said, "I hope India will play a bigger role."

"India is a country that is friendly with everybody, that is friends to everybody. It is a leading power of the Global South. As Prime Minister Modi said, India wants to resonate the voice of the Global South in international geopolitical discussions and conversations. So yes, there is a role of India and I am very confident that India will play the positive role that she has in itself," he added.