‘India needs partners, not preachers’: Jaishankar once again tears into EU

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar once again tore into the European nations over their duplicitous stands on global matters, saying India needs “partners, not preachers”.

Responding to what New Delhi’s expectations would be from an EU partnership, and the European bloc’s stand in general, Jaishankar said: “Europe has entered a certain zone of reality check”.

“When we look out at the world...we look for partners. We don’t look for preachers, particularly preachers who don’t practice at home what they preach abroad. And I think some of Europe is still struggling with that problem. Some of it is changing,” said Jaishankar.

He further added: “So, the issue for us, I mean...in many ways...Europe has entered a certain zone of reality check. Now, whether they are able to step up to it or not it’s something we will have to see”.