European, Australian Envoys Decode Changing World Order And India's Role In It

Italy's Ambassador to India, Antonio Bartoli, on Thursday said that the West "welcomes" the higher profile of New Delhi's increased role in peacemaking and diplomacy but reminded that the growing capacity comes with "greater responsibilities".

Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Bartoli highlighted the paradox of modern globalisation, pointing out that contrary to expectations, increased global interconnectedness has not led to a corresponding rise in peace and democracy.

"I think that with a greater role comes greater responsibilities. And so we very much welcome this higher profile because you know, what's happening is that in a period we were all enthusiastic about globalisation, we thought that that would bring more peace and more democracy. The result is not there", he said.

"India no longer just a spectator," says Antonio Bartoli, Italian Ambassador to India, at #NDTVWorldSummit2026 @AdityaRajKaul https://t.co/dFl8YagWn8

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He emphasised that we cannot ignore the war in Ukraine just because it is far away in Europe. He explained that even when a war happens across the world, it still hurts the everyday consumer's finances.

"You cannot isolate and say that it's just the Ukraine war that is causing the rise in fuel. Because it's also Iran, even more, that is doing that. So I think that there is more awareness of this interconnection, as I think this interconnection is also part of the proposed solution", he said.

Bartoli then highlighted how global interconnectedness affects everyone, pointing to severe food shortages caused by trade disruptions in critical maritime chokepoints like the Black Sea, the Strait of Hormuz, and Bab-el-Mandeb.

The members of the Panel -- The West, Rewired: The New Transatlantic Order

Diplomatic Interests

When asked about India's clashing diplomatic interests with that of Europe, Jasper Wieck, Ambassador of Germany to India, stressed that every country around the world, across the globe, has its own security mix and has its own setup for how they provide for the security, stability and peace for the sake of their own population.

"And so it's not on us to judge upon the security mixes of other countries. Indeed, we have another approach. We are very happy to be an ally within an alliance," he said.

France Protest

Jean-Eric Paquet, Ambassador of the European Union to India, talked about protests in France and other parts of Europe, and noted that while peaceful protest is a democratic right, it should not be confused with "looting and arson".

"European governments, but also at the level of the European Union, are much engaged in working with youth. I think intergenerational fairness is a particularly important policy concept across Europe. And governments everywhere are, as central to their public policies, working hard to provide a future to our continent, therefore to our people and our younger people," he said.

"I think across Europe, as is the case here, we all believe that education is a key component for that future, and that investment continues in each member state according to their own responsibility," he added.

The Indo-Pacific Concept

Philip Green, High Commissioner of Australia to India, talked about the Indo-Pacific concept, calling it a region which is a free and open and prosperous region, where no one dominates and there is no coercion of an economic or political or strategic kind.

He said that if the region ever faces a crisis similar to the current situation in the Gulf, India and Australia can turn to their partnerships to try to find ways to ameliorate the negative.

"Our partnerships, which have underlying strength -- some of them strategic, some of them economic, and some of them people-to-person -- can be used to overcome these problems at difficult moments," he said.