UN is like an old company, not keeping up with the market: Jaishankar

Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave, Jaishankar said, "The United Nations is like an old company, not entirely keeping up with the market, but occupying the space...What you have today is, yes, there is a UN. At the end of the day, however suboptimal it is in functioning, it is still the only multilateral game in town but when it doesn't step up on key issues, countries figure out their own ways of doing it.

"Let's take the last 5-10 years, probably the biggest thing which happened in our lives was COVID. Think about what the UN do on COVID. I think the answer is not very much. Now you have two conflicts going on in the world today."

Jaishankar was a part of an interactive session which was termed 'India and the Globe'.

The External Affairs Minister said a club of countries coming together has created a non-UN space, which he called "active".

He said, "Where is the UN on them, essentially a bystander? Even during COVID, countries either did their own thing or you had an initiative like COVAX, which was done by a group of countries.

"When it comes to the big issues of the day, I think increasingly you find combinations of countries who come together and say, let's agree on this and let's go and do it...I think today the UN will continue, but increasingly there's a non-UN space, which is the active space..."

Jaishankar's witty response to 'Dinner with Kim Jong-Un or Soros?' goes viral

Jaishankar's sharp and humorous reply during a rapid-fire session at a recent event has drawn widespread attention online.

When presented with a question about whom he would choose to have dinner with, Jaishankar was asked to pick between two well-known personalities.

"One person you wish to have dinner with - Kim Jong-Un or George Soros?" the host inquired.

Jaishankar quipped, "I think this is Navratri, I am fasting," which instantly drew laughter from both the audience and the presenter.

George Soros, a controversial figure, is often accused of funding groups that oppose Indian interests and supporting global regime changes to promote Western agendas.

In a separate context, Jaishankar, in his usual calm demeanour, has delivered fitting responses to allegations about India's oil purchases from Russia amid international scrutiny.

Speaking in April 2022, he emphasized that India's energy needs are minimal compared to European countries.

"I noticed you refer to oil purchases. If you are looking at energy purchases from Russia, I would suggest that your attention should be focused on Europe. We do buy some energy, which is necessary for our energy security. But I suspect looking at the figures, probably our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon," Jaishankar told a reporter when asked about India's reliance on Russian oil.

Jaishankar's responses, both witty and diplomatic, have continued to draw appreciation from the public and media alike.