New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar asserted that the largest democracy – India – would be a blend of the west and the developed world.

“There’s often the question asked whether India, these are not my words, would be an Eastern power or a Western power, meaning would it be democratic or would it not be democratic? I think by now in 70 years, at least that question is answered,” he said.

“But I would also suggest to you that it would be a southern power, that it would be a power with very strong bonding with the developed world, which would enjoy as it goes up in the international order, the degree of trust and confidence of other developing states,” he said.

“And that would be reflected in our own activities and commitments to those states,” he said responding to questions at The Heritage Foundation in Washington.

This bounding can be seen in India’s development assistant commitments and disaster relief responses, Jaishankar said.

“You can see that in our Africa story, which is not written about very much. So I kind of think it would be a southwestern power. This to my mind would be sort of where is the world and where is India in its mindset at this time,” he said.

In his remarks, the minister said that nationalism is an “X factor” in international relations today and cautioned that it means different things to different people.