India’s Core Positions Will Not Bend to Coercion or Pressure: EAM Jaishankar

Asserting that India's core strategies/position could not be altered by coercive tacts by adversaries and geopolitical pressures, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar on Friday said the country would refirm firm on sovereignty and security issues and there was no compromise on it.

Interacting with the students after launching the IIT-Madras Global Research Foundation, he reiterated that India will not compromise on sovereignty, security or global responsibility.

"India will remain firm on sovereignty and security issue while continuing to act as a responsible global stakeholder", he said.

Declaring that any coercive tactics by adversaries and geopolitical pressures would not alter India’s core positions, Dr Jaishankar said the the recent actions by China, including the detention and harassment of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh during transit, had been formally protested.

Talking about India’s externnal challenges, the EAM said “such incidents change nothing on the ground. Arunachal Pradesh is, and will always remain, an integral part of India,” and strongly emphasised that India’s stand on territorial integrity was clear, firm and unwavering.

Observing India was compelled to take hard decisions against neighbouring Pakistan for repeatedly supporting terrorism, Dr Jaishankar said after decades of violence, no one can lecture India on how to defend itself.

Cutting engagement in such circumstances is a legitimate sovereign choice,” he said, adding that normal neighbourhood relations were impossible amid sustained cross-border terror.

Describing India as a civilisation-state that had successfully transitioned into a modern technology-driven natio he said India’s approach was ‘non-West, not anti-West’, shaped by confidence in its own history, culture and values.

Responding to a query on how to prevent people from misreading you, the EAM said the best way is to communicate. If you communicate well, clearly and honestly, other countries and other people respect it and accept it.

"A lot of people across the world are proud of their culture, tradition and heritage. I see no reason why we should not be. There are really very few ancient civilizations which have survived to become major modern nation states and we are one of them. We have a sense of our past which very few countries have... It was our decision to opt for a democratic political model which made the very idea of democracy as a universal political concept. Had we not gone that way, the democratic model, as we know it, would have been regional and narrow... Partnership with the West is also important and that is how we shape the world.”

Noting that two centuries of Western colonial dominance had suppressed the cultural diversity of many societies, a phase the world is now emerging from, the EAM said yhis return of diversity is not a threat. It can co-exist with the West and, in many ways, reinforce shared democratic beliefs,” while underlining the importance of constructive partnerships with Western nations.

On regional diplomacy, Dr Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s firmcommitment to Bangladesh, saying New Delhi consistently sought to be a supportive and dependable neighbour.

Pointing out his recent visit to Dhaka to take part in the the funeral of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the EAM exuded confidence that stability would prevail as Bangladesh heads towards elections. “When India grows, its neighbours grow,” he said.

Referring to the Ukraine war, Jaishankar said global crises had exposed the fragility of supply chains and the risks of over-dependence. During shortages of food, fuel and finance triggered by the conflict, India shared what it had, he said, reinforcing its belief that wars cannot be prolonged indefinitely in an interconnected world. “Those who control supply chains will inevitably use them. That reality demands constant risk assessment and mitigation,” he observed.

Dr Jaishankar said, “Countries have grown by growing at home and then engaging abroad, leveraging the international environment in a way contributing to it and gaining from it."

"When we say ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the term is we have never considered the world as a inimical or hostile place from which we have to defensively protect ourselves. We have limitations on our resources. With limited resources how do you have maximum impact? that is actually the problem that has to be solved. What we try to do in Indian Foreign Policy and diplomacy today is to solve that problem. We try to do that partly using our competitiveness and strengths and leveraging other institutions and possibilities”, he added.

During the occasion, Dr. Jaishankar also inaugurated ‘IITM Festival Fortnight,’ which includes the Open House, through which the public is given access to IITMs’ labs and innovation centres, Shaastra, the annual technical festival and Saarang, the annual cultural festival. While Shaastra 2026 is being held from 2nd to 6th January 2026, Saarang 2026 is from 8th to 12th January 2026.

As part of the IITM Global rollout, IIT Madras signed a series of high-impact Memoranda of Understanding with leading multinational institutions and partners across key global regions. These include three MoUs in the United States, one in the United Kingdom, three in Germany, three in Dubai, three across the Asia-Pacific region including Singapore and Malaysia, and six under the India-for-Global initiative.

The partnerships are focused on joint research, industry and startup collaboration, global talent and knowledge exchange, and translating deep-tech innovation into real-world applications.

Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “IITM Global Research Foundation is a global outreach initiative of IIT Madras aimed at strengthening international collaborations. It follows a four-pronged approach. First, we aim to take our technologies abroad and explore opportunities for technology transfer across different countries. Second, we plan to bring projects from these nations under joint development agreements, enabling our faculty to work on and provide solutions to global challenges. Third, we aim to introduce our start-ups to business opportunities in these countries. Fourth, we aim to attract foreign investments into our start-ups.”

“These four verticals form the core focus of IITM Global. Initially, we are establishing a presence in five locations, including the United States, Dubai, Malaysia and Germany. Based on success, this initiative will be expanded to multiple nations", he said

IITM Global is designed as a dynamic ‘plug-and-play’ framework that enables deep-tech innovators, researchers, startups and industry partners to access global markets, capital and research opportunities.

By integrating local context with international engagement, the platform aims to catalyse innovation-led growth while fostering high-impact collaborations with global industry and R&D partners.