Foreign Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday that India, at 75 years of independence, is at a juncture where it should abandon the idea that it needs approval from others; that others 'define' India. "We have to be confident about who we are. I think it's better to engage with the world on the basis of who we are rather than try and please the world by being a pale imitation of what they are. The idea that others define us, that you know somewhere we need to get approval from other quarters, I think, that's an era we need to put behind," the minister said as he spoke at Observer Research Foundation's Raisina Dialogue 2022. The comment comes amid India's much-debated stand on Russia which is continuing its attack on Ukraine. While India condemned the violence and urged for a ceasefire, it continued its historical trade relations with Russia.

The foreign minister expressed hope that India will become more international in terms of commitment, role, and responsibilities during the next 25 years. "My morning today was made by meeting a fellow foreign minister who told me Gujarat is ahead of globalization. Actually, he said Gujarat does not need globalization... I think in a way I would hope in the next 25 years India too would be at the forefront of the right kind of globalization, more decentralized, fairer, one which works for everybody, one which is not weaponized," the foreign minister said.

When asked what India should not do, Jaishankar stated, "We should not be looking at the world with a sense of entitlement. We need to earn our place in the world which to a certain extent comes to the issue of how the world benefits from the growth of India. We need to demonstrate that."