Tag: Jaishankar

  • After Rahul Gandhi criticises Jaishankar, Cong demands EAM’s sacking

    After Rahul Gandhi criticises Jaishankar, Cong demands EAM’s sacking

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    New Delhi: The Congress on Monday demanded the sacking of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, accusing him of making “blasphemous” comments on the China issue.

    The opposition party’s attack came a day after Rahul Gandhi hit out at Jaishankar, saying the minister does not understand the China threat.

    “If you notice the statement of the Foreign Minister, he said China is much more powerful than us. To think China is more powerful than us, how can I pick a fight with them? At the heart of the ideology is cowardice,” Gandhi said in his interaction with the Indian diaspora.

    Asked about Gandhi’s criticism of Jaishankar, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “If S Jaishankar understood the threat about China, he would not tell Chinese that ‘we are a smaller economy and you are a larger economy and how do we go and attack them’. Is that not what he said in his interview?”

    “S Jaishankar should actually resign from his position. If he has an iota of morality in him, he should resign.

    “If there was an iota of morality or moral compass alive in the Modi government, he should be sacked for making a blasphemous statement like that, because in one single stroke, he has actually demeaned our forces, he has put everyone to shame,” Shrinate said.

    In a scathing attack on Jaishankar at the Congress’ plenary session in Raipur last month, Gandhi had also said that his recent remarks on China did not show nationalism but cowardice and that these were in line with V D Savarkar’s ideology of “bowing before the strong”.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Current state of India-China relations abnormal: Jaishankar tells Chinese counterpart Qin

    Current state of India-China relations abnormal: Jaishankar tells Chinese counterpart Qin

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    Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang at a meeting that the state of India-China relations is “abnormal” as their talks focused on addressing the challenges in bilateral ties, especially that of peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

    Jaishankar’s first in-person meeting with Qin came on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers conclave amid the over 34-month-long border row in eastern Ladakh. Qin took charge as Chinese foreign minister in December, succeeding Wang Yi.

    “It’s our first meeting after he took over as foreign minister. We spent maybe about 45 minutes talking to each other and the bulk of our conversation, understandably, was about the current state of our relationship, which many of you have heard me describe as abnormal,” Jaishankar told reporters.

    “And those were among the adjectives that I used in that meeting. There are real problems in that relationship that need to be looked at, that need to be discussed very openly and candidly between us,” he said.

    The external affairs minister said the thrust of the meeting was on the bilateral relationship.

    “We also had a brief discussion on what was happening in the G20 framework. But the thrust of the meeting was really on our bilateral relationship and the challenges in the bilateral relationship, especially that of peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” he said.

    Qin arrived in Delhi on Thursday morning to attend the G20 meeting hosted by India under its presidency of the influential grouping.

    “Met Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of #G20FMM this afternoon. Our discussions were focused on addressing current challenges to the bilateral relationship, especially peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” Jaishankar said on Twitter earlier.

    “We also spoke about the G20 agenda,” he said.

    Qin also had a meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.

    In an address at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, Qin highlighted China’s peace plan to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

    “Global development and prosperity cannot be achieved without a peaceful and stable international environment. With this in mind, China has put forward the Global Security Initiative, and issued the position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis,” he said.

    “China will always stand on the side of peace, actively promote peace talks, and play a constructive role,” he said.

    In his remarks, he also said that the G20 must contribute to global development and prosperity.

    “The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. Faced with a volatile international situation and rising global challenges, the G20 must rise to the occasion, enhance cooperation, and contribute its share to global development and prosperity,” he said.

    India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

    The talk between the foreign ministers came nearly eight months after Jaishankar held a meeting with the then-Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Bali on the sidelines of a G20 meeting.

    At the hour-long meeting on July 7, Jaishankar conveyed to Wang the need for early resolution of all the outstanding issues in Eastern Ladakh.

    The external affairs minister had told Wang that the relationship between the two countries should be based on “three mutuals” — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

    Wang had visited India in March last year,

    In line with a decision taken at the 16th round of military talks, the two sides carried out disengagement from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in September last year.

    But the face-off between the two of the planet’s biggest military forces lingered on in Demchok and Depsang regions though the Indian side pressed for completion of the disengagement in remaining friction points at the earliest.

    On February 22, India and China held in-person diplomatic talks in Beijing and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in an “open and constructive manner”.

    The meeting took place under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

    The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

    The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • UK Foreign Secretary raises IT searches at BBC offices with Jaishankar

    UK Foreign Secretary raises IT searches at BBC offices with Jaishankar

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    New Delhi: UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Wednesday raised the issue of tax searches at BBC offices in India with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar.

    The issue was raised during their bilateral meeting, as per reports citing an interview with Cleverly, who is in India to participate in the two-day G20 Foreign Ministers meeting, which began here on Wednesday.

    Last month, income tax authorities conducted “survey operations” at BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai.

    The searches came after the Indian government had reacted strongly against a BBC documentary on post-Godhra incident riots in Gujarat in 2002, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the state’s Chief Minister.

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    #Foreign #Secretary #raises #searches #BBC #offices #Jaishankar

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Tharoor slams Jaishankar for China ‘bigger economy’ remark

    Tharoor slams Jaishankar for China ‘bigger economy’ remark

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    Raipur: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday criticised External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for the latter’s recent remark during an interview that “China is a bigger economy” while defending India’s policy on China amid tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)

    “It is shocking to hear from the External Affairs Minister that China is too rich to stand up to,” Tharoor said while speaking on the international resolution passed by the Congress during the party’s 85th plenary session being held here.

    Tharoor said the future of India is bright as long as the Congress fights the good fight and we have to send a message from here.A

    The MP from Thiruvananthapuram said that the party should be absolutely clear about its ideology if it wants to take on the BJP with full might.

    Stressing on the idea of inclusive India, Tharoor said that Congress could have been more vocal on the release of Bilkis Bano rape case convicts and cow vigilantes.

    Tharoor also targeted the Central government for ‘rampant crony capitalism’ and ‘accumulating wealth in the hands of a few friends of the Prime Minister’.

    Meanwhile, the Congress in its political resolution said that it will bring a law to punish and prevent hate crimes to combat hate politics and violence.

    The resolution said, “In the last eight-and-a-half years under the BJP government, the politics of hate has assumed alarming proportions and religious polarisation has reached its peak. Hate crimes and atrocities have increased manifold. Vigilante right wing groups incite violence on various trivial issues.

    “These groups operate with impunity and have started acting like police, spreading anarchy and fear. This fear in the minds of minorities is the aim of the BJP/RSS regime.”

    The resolution said that during the course of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, it was clear that majority of Indians yearn for love, peace and harmony.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • India Inc should take equal blame for trade imbalance with China: Jaishankar

    India Inc should take equal blame for trade imbalance with China: Jaishankar

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    Pune: The businesses should share equal responsibility for the skewed trade balance with China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, blaming India Inc for not developing sufficient sourcing capabilities within the country.

    Stating that the government’s flagship ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative pitching for self-reliance is a corrective attempt, Jaishankar warned that “massive external exposure” puts our national security at threat.

    With some experts, including former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan pitching India to focus more on services, Jaishankar said neglecting manufacturing will lead to damaging India’s “strategic future”.

    In 2022, India-China trade touched USD 135.98 and New Delhi’s trade deficit with Beijing crossed the USD 100 billion mark for the first time despite frosty bilateral ties.

    Terming the challenge posed by the trade imbalance with China as very serious and formidable, the career bureaucrat turned politician said the responsibility here is not just of the government, but it is an equal responsibility of businesses as well.

    “Indian corporates haven’t developed the kind of backward (linkages), vendor supplies, components and parts, ingredients and intermediates that should be supporting us,” he said while speaking at the annual Asia Economic Dialogue organised by the external affairs ministry here.

    Acknowledging that the government is also to be blamed for such a trade imbalance, Jaishankar said the self-reliance motto is a corrective step taken by the administration after the flaws that got exposed during the COVID pandemic.

    “Atmanirbhar Bharat it is not a slogan. It is actually a messaging to (the) industry, to people saying, please, what you can source from India, you have an obligation to source, not as a moral obligation. Our national security is at threat if you have this kind of massive external exposure,” the career diplomat-turned-politician said.

    With schemes like production-linked incentives (PLI), the purpose is to bring back the manufacturing prowess in the country, he said, arguing that a major economy like India cannot be service-centric and neglect manufacturing.

    “Those who do down manufacturing, they are actually damaging this country’s strategic future,” he said, adding that significant industrial capacity is a prerequisite for national security requirements.

    Jaishankar also said that under the previous UPA government, the country was contemplating signing a free trade agreement with China in 2006 when the ties with Beijing were better and we looked forward to an optimistic future where market access improved.

    However, India did not get the market access it had hoped to get and also lost out on businesses which moved to China and that too under Chinese ownership, making it a flawed market.

    He said that there is a “deep strategic intent” behind the “misleading rhetoric” of ‘Asia for Asians’, and asked all not to fall for what is essentially designed to appeal to “very primitive chauvinism” in people.

    Asia is growing faster because it is global, and it will continue to grow till it is diverse and multipolar, Jaishankar said, asserting that the responsibility of ensuring the same falls on India.

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    #India #equal #blame #trade #imbalance #China #Jaishankar

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • India is 15 pc of solution G20 is looking for in terms of economic growth: Jaishankar

    India is 15 pc of solution G20 is looking for in terms of economic growth: Jaishankar

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    Pune: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India is “15 percent of the solution” the G20 is looking for in terms of economic growth and development.

    He was speaking at the Festival of Thinkers, an event organized by Symbiosis International University here.

    The minister cited managing director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva’s statement that in “otherwise a fairly gloomy global economic scenario” India’s GDP base is growing at seven percent and is likely to increase in the coming decade.

    “Kristalina Georgieva tells that 15 percent of the world’s growth this year is going to come from India, that means we are 15 percent of the solution that the G20 is looking for in terms of economic growth and development, but it isn’t just growth, the G20 is actually looking at how we handled the COVID challenges,” said Jaishankar.

    India’s G20 presidency began in December 2022.

    The G20 countries have noted India’s success in effectively vaccinating its vast population against coronavirus, he said.

    “Getting shots in the arms” looks very easy, but there are countries which struggled to get it done while the world has seen that India managed to vaccinate all eligible persons, Jaishankar said.

    “For them, it is a staggering achievement, it is a staggering achievement with the smoothness and organization with which it was done,” he added.

    Soon after COVID-19 became a global concern in January 2020, “there was a sense of the briefing to the G20 that if there is any place in the world (that) is going (to) go under because of COVID, it is India,” the minister said.

    “A set of very serious people” who had studied global health concluded that India’s health system, governance and ability as society would not allow it to deal with the pandemic, and “three years later, we showed them to be so wrong,” he said.

    Today the same people marvel at how India “managed society, how the country fed people during that period, how money was put in the bank account of people,” Jaishankar said.

    Aadhaar has become “a magic number”, and is “actually the backbone on which the daily existence of hundreds of millions of people (hinges), he said.

    “If the world today has expectations, the contribution of India, it is the economic contribution that is underpinned by enormous governance record, especially in digital delivery,” he said.

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    #India #solution #G20 #terms #economic #growth #Jaishankar

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Can’t help a country if their basic industry is terrorism: Jaishankar on Pak

    Can’t help a country if their basic industry is terrorism: Jaishankar on Pak

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    Pune: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday virtually dismissed the idea of helping Pakistan to come out of its economic mess.

    Speaking at the annual Asia Economic Dialogue organised by the external affairs ministry here, Jaishankar said he will consider the local public sentiment while making a big decision.

    “I would have a pulse (on) what do my people feel about it. And I think you know the answer,” he said.

    Pakistan is grappling with an economic crisis and has not been successful in getting an agreement from multilateral institutions either. In the recent past, India has helped neighbours like Sri Lanka as it struggled to come out of its economic woes and regularly helps others in the neighbourhood as well.

    However, when it comes to Pakistan, the fundamental issue impacting the New Delhi-Islamabad ties is terrorism, Jaishankar said, adding that one must not be in denial of this problem.

    “No country is ever going to come out of a difficult situation and become a prosperous power if its basic industry is terrorism.

    “Just as a country has to fix its economic issues, a country has to fix its political issues too, a country has to fix its social issues,” he said without naming Pakistan.

    Jaishankar also made it clear that it is in nobody’s interest to see a country get into severe economic difficulties, and that too a neighbour.

    Once a country is in the throes of a serious economic problem, it has to make policy choices to get out of it, the career diplomat-turned-politician said, adding that others cannot solve it for the country.

    The world can only provide options and support systems, Jaishankar said, making it clear that Pakistan will have to make “tough choices”.

    He said India has also undergone the same challenges several times in its modern history, with the last one being 30 years ago with the balance of payment crisis.

    Meanwhile, Jaishankar said ever since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, the country’s approach to the neighbouring countries has undergone a perceptible change and also reminded all about the Prime Minister’s decision to call heads of state for the swearing-in function to start a new relationship.

    Citing the case of Maldives, he said India’s help in the recent past includes the Greater Male project and also added that he was present at the foundation stone laying event a few weeks ago.

    India is also buying or selling power with many of its neighbours, Jaishankar said, adding that it recently started buying power from Nepal.

    Going forward, the country is also mulling to up its focus on education and healthcare spending in the neighbourhood, Jaishankar said.

    He also assured that India will also be using its G-20 presidency to give a voice to the problems of the ‘global south’ and asserted that India is the best-placed country to do that.

    The prime minister and his top ministers have spoken to 125 countries in the past month in India’s effort to be an effective voice of the global south, Jaishankar said.

    Speaking at the same event, Maldives’ Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer said climate finance is a big challenge and expected help to flow through on the commitment at the earliest. His counterpart from Bhutan, Lyonpo Namgay Tshering said an easing of global financial conditions is also the need of the hour.

    Jaishankar said there are multiple second and third-order impacts of the major world events and policy decisions, which India will be flagging to the world as part of its G-20 presidency.

    The EAM also said that the G-20, with nearly 200 events across the country, is a marketing of India to influential people across the world by exposing them to cultural and socio-economic changes taking place in the country.

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    #country #basic #industry #terrorism #Jaishankar #Pak

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • S Jaishankar a failed foreign Minister: Congress

    S Jaishankar a failed foreign Minister: Congress

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    New Delhi: Congress on Wednesday termed External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar a “failed” foreign minister and alleged that despite being the longest serving Diplomat in China, he has failed on every front.

    Addressing a press conference here, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “On issue of Chinese incursions, there is silence from the EAM and has he advised the Prime Minister to say that no one has intruded Indian territory when 2,000 sq kilometre of the Indian territory has been intruded by China.”

    The Congress leader alleged that China is building roads, railway networks and bridges in the occupied territory.

    The Indian trade is increasing with China and in a way India is funding the Chinese PLA, “Due to the silence of the PM in every meeting, PLA says they have not invaded any land,” she added.

    Shrinate criticised EAM Jaishankar’s statement that India being a smaller economy can’t go and fight bigger economy and termed it “blasphemous”.

    Accusing the Foreign Minister of failing India foreign policy, she said there is no US Ambassador to India despite Biden almost crossing his half the term as President.

    The Congress spokesperson said that when the government is saying that there is international conspiracy against India, “what is Mr Jaishankar and his department doing.”

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Union External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar Inaugurates First International Education Fair Of J&K

    Union External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar Inaugurates First International Education Fair Of J&K

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    NEW DELHI:  J&K’s first International Education Fair, a collaborative effort of SKUAST-Kashmir and ICCR was inaugurated by Union Minister for External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar today in presence of Union Minister for Education,  Dharmendra Pradhan; Union MoS, PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh; Lieutenant Governor, Jammu & Kashmir,  Manoj Sinha and President ICCR, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi on Tuesday.

    Union External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief Guest for the event, complemented the SKUSAT-Kashmir for the International Education Fair initiative. He said three years ago, the process of change started in J&K which was intended to ensure that full benefits of the development and progress that the rest of India had seen for many many years are also now completely available to the people, especially to the youth of J&K.

    In that sense, people of J&K being in the national mainstream was extremely important. It was also by doing so, they would connect up with the rest of India and the International mainstream. For me it is not just an education event, it is a very integral part of ensuring that a very important region of India is connected to what is happening in the world,” Dr Jaishankar said.

    He also observed that Indian universities should focus on inviting more foreign students to their campuses.

    “Today, India has projects done or under-delivery in 78 countries of the world. So, if our relationships are so extensive, investments are so deep & networking is so good, we need to see that translated into a greater flow of international students to India,” Dr Jaishankar said.

    “In a globalised world, it’s absolutely essential that young people of India are fully aware of what’s happening in the world and there is no better way to do that than having international students among you,” Dr Jaishankar added.

    Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated the Government of J&K for showcasing the strength and vibrancy of India’s higher education landscape as well as the knowledge legacy of Jammu & Kashmir.

    “J&K is witnessing a new dawn of development under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister. With the implementation of National Education Policy, we are internationalising our education sector. The Education Ministry will support, encourage and facilitate the globalisation of SKUAST-Kashmir,” Pradhan said.

    He also encouraged all the universities to join efforts to establish India as a global study destination.

    Union MoS, Dr Jitendra Singh said the National Education Policy brought by Prime Minister holds the promise to open career and Start-up opportunities driven by aptitude, skill and flexi options at capacity building.

    “Jammu Kashmir has a rich legacy of unexplored agricultural avenues, Aroma Mission and Purple Revolution, which imparts it the potential of being the torchbearer of Agri StartUp movement in India, Dr Jitendra Singh said.

    Lieutenant Governor of J&K,Manoj Sinha expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accelerating development of J&K and transforming it into a favourite destination for students, travellers and entrepreneurs.

    The Lt Governor said with this initiative J&K has launched a dedicated programme for foreign students.

    “Our aim is to invite international students to J&K for short-term and long-term courses in various disciplines & strengthen the international connect. Over the past three years, we have focused on strengthening education sector, developing knowledge workers for sectors like industries, agriculture & health care. Sincere efforts have been made to convert the knowledge dividends into wealth for process of innovation & growth,” the Lt Governor said.

    The Lt Governor also observed that the initiative of SKUAST-Kashmir will set an example for other universities of the country as well.

    “Apart from campuses nestled in nature’s paradise, professional faculties, high standard of living, J&K is also offering variety of courses starting from Artificial Intelligence, Robotics to Agri science, Yoga, Sanskrit & interface with the industries for research & innovation,” the Lt Governor further said.

    The Lt Governor said with more than 150 higher education institutions, two central universities, seven state universities, two AIIMS, IIM, IIT, NIT, NIFT, IIMC and two Agriculture Science and Technology universities, Jammu Kashmir has emerged as a favourite destination for students in India.

    He also said that paradigm shift towards virtues of life which humanity is witnessing is also an opportunity for enhancing quality of life by exchange programs between the countries and learn from each other and enable each other to achieve greater heights in our journey.

    “The whole world is looking at India with admiration and hope. There never was a better time to be in India to witness and comprehend the glorious chapters of ancient civilization and immortal organic composite culture. The foreign student’s residential and exchange programmes, people-to-people contacts and institutional interactions with different institutions of Jammu Kashmir will enrich and strengthen global cultural synergies,” the Lt Governor added.

    Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) assured the cooperation and support of ICCR to J&K in organizing the exchange programs of artisans and fairs whereby the message of changing new aspirational J&K goes loud and clear to other countries.

    Distinguished Ambassadors, High Commissioners and members of ICAR, ICCR, UGC, and SKUAST-K were present on the occasion.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • “We are an exceptional international power,” says EAM Jaishankar

    “We are an exceptional international power,” says EAM Jaishankar

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    New Delhi: Highlighting India’s growing stature on the global stage, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that “we are an exceptional international power.”

    In an exclusive interview with ANI, he said, “We have been able to very clearly demonstrate to the world that we are exceptional international power, meaning we are willing to do things for others, perhaps more than most of the countries are at this point of time.”

    Speaking on big global issues, he said, “We have been able to demonstrate to the world that we are an exceptional international power. If you look today India’s global standing is clearly very much higher and quite strong. Strategically, there’s much more clarity in our own thinking and operations.”

    “I think the expectation is that India would have a voice, have an opinion, if necessary they would have more than that and this could be climate change, counter terrorism, black money. if you look at the big it could be maritime security, even today trade, investment that domain, technology,” he added.

    He underscored the importance of ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative and said, “If you ask me a single thing that we have done in the last ten years which has shaped global views about India, it is ‘Vaccine Maitri.’”

    He also talked about India partnering in groupings like QUAD and others, he said, “India is going up, it’s going well….Why do we have so many partnerships? Because we get along with so many people. How we are to manage different partnerships? Maybe because we are good at it.”

    Speaking on China, he said, “India’s relationship with major powers is good. China is an exception because it violated agreements that we’ve had and has a posture at the border and as a result we have a counter posture. Overall India’s relationship with major powers is good. Relationship with Europe is the best ever we had.”

    He also gave an example of India’s relationship with Russia, saying, “Our relationship with Russia has been extraordinarily steady and it has been steady through all the turbulence in global politics.”

    He also lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whom India’s stature on the global stage has increased manifold.

    “Today, India’s global standing is clearly very much higher and quite strong. We’ve been able to demonstrate to the world that we are an exceptional international power,” said Jaishankar on nine years of PM Modi govt’s foreign policy.

    Sharing his views on nine years of PM Modi’s foreign policy, he said, “I think it’s a very solid report card. No one if you look today at our global standing which is a very intangible measure of success but it is very visible measure of success. You ask yourself 2023, when PM Modi convenes a meeting, walks up on a global stage or a conference, how do people react, compare it even with him 5 years ago, perhaps with his predecessors many of them, I would say today our global standing is clearly very much higher but could be quite strong.”

    Jaishankar further stated that there is greater clarity in thinking and implementation of foreign policy and gave example of Neighbourhood First policy.

    “I think there is today much greater clarity in our own thinking and in our own operations and I say that as an implementer of foreign policy. That people know there is Neighbourhood First Policy. Neighbourhood First means build your connectivity and your contacts and this is your first priority, then they know there is an extended neighbourhood to the West towards the Gulf, to the East… to South, Central Asia. There is a set of policies which do that. Then they know there is a policy of engaging the major powers, they know there is an Africa focus. So there is today a lot of strategic clarity about our strategy and that’s necessary if you are serious about,” he said.

    Jaishankar also laid stress on operationalization, saying, “we today do projects in almost 80 countries in the world. You know most Indians don’t realize how much we do abroad and those are often the test of our credibility. There has been huge improvement there. The projects which often lay for years, unfinished, struggling for something, the efficiency of that has improved.”

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )