New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) Indonesian envoy Ina Hagniningtyas Krisnamurthi on Thursday warned of a “tsunami of issues” engulfing the world, urging Global South countries to adapt and collaborate to navigate an increasingly-unstable geopolitical landscape.

She also hailed India’s pivotal role in shaping post-colonial solidarity and called for a revival of the shared vision that united Asian and African countries against imperialism.

Citing India’s “unwavering support” during Indonesia’s struggle for independence and its leadership in organising the 1947 Asian Relations Conference, Krisnamurthi urged developing countries to once again come together in the face of growing global disorder.

“India stood by us when our sovereignty was under threat — this solidarity must be remembered and renewed,” she said.

Krisnamurthi was speaking at an event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the historic Bandung Conference. Held in April 1955 in Indonesia’s Bandung, the conference was a landmark gathering of 29 Asian and African countries — many newly-independent — that came together to promote economic and cultural cooperation and oppose colonialism and neocolonialism in all forms.

Krisnamurthi also spoke of the vision of Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, quoting his Bandung speech: “Asia and Africa can prosper only when they are united, and that even the safety of the world at large cannot be safeguarded without a United Asia.” She described the current global landscape as a “tsunami of issues”, pointing to weakened alliances, cyber warfare and a flood of disinformation that erodes trust in institutions.

Krisnamurthi warned that responses like nationalism and protectionism, rather than resolving uncertainty, “often deepen it”, exacerbating economic divides and sparking new conflicts.

She underscored the significance of the revival of the Bandung spirit, emphasising mutual respect and cooperation among Global South countries to navigate this “era of disorder”.

Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran echoed the call for solidarity, highlighting the 1955 conference as a powerful rejection of western dominance.

He recalled Jawaharlal Nehru’s 1947 Asian Relations Conference, which laid the groundwork for Bandung by asserting the autonomy of post-colonial nations. Saran emphasised that India’s pursuit of strategic autonomy, rooted in Nehru’s non-aligned foreign policy, remains a guiding principle despite a changed world.

He said the impulse behind India’s non-aligned foreign policy, which was the pursuit of strategic autonomy, has not changed.

The symposium addressed four key themes — social development, peace and security, climate change and the global political economy. PTI UZM RC