Success of India’s foreign policy, a manifestation of domestic policy: EAM

He said India’s image and reputation in the world have changed, adding that New Delhi’s success in foreign policy is a manifestation of its domestic policies. (Photo:PTI)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India’s reputation globally has changed and the success of New Delhi’s foreign policy is a reflection of its domestic policies.

He also emphasized that India is the fastest growing economy in the world today and the world wants to open activities and businesses here.

The EAM was speaking at an event ‘Bharat’s Rise in Global Diplomacy’ at the Benares Club in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

Addressing the event, Jaishankar said: “If we look at the major economies, our growth rate of 7 percent is the highest in the world. Nowadays the world is interested in India, there are so many proposals for joint ventures, so many companies want to start their operations, and our trade and exports are increasing. “We all have to accept that a lot of progress has been made in this area… the rate of growth has increased and inflation has decreased.”

Speaking about India’s foreign policy, the Foreign Minister said India lacked confidence in the past but has shown a “confident” foreign policy under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He added that India used to be reluctant to maintain relations with countries, but today the country is working to keep everyone close.

“You have probably heard the Prime Minister say what the difference was between the foreign policy of the past and the foreign policy of today. We used to want to maintain relations with other countries, but we lacked trust. keep everyone at some distance. Keeping distance and balancing distance,” the EAM said.

He added: “After 2014 you can see a very different foreign policy. Confidence increases when a very confident leader comes along, who understands the world, who has confidence in the country. You see that same foreign policy, you keep everyone together, keep them so close. So now the balance is not about keeping distance, the balance is about how close we keep everyone and how many relationships we build together.”

Expanding on this, the EAM says that today India enjoys healthy relations with several major powers with competing interests, ranging from the US and Russia to Iran and Israel, and is part of organizations like the SCO and the BRICS.

He said India’s image and reputation in the world have changed, adding that New Delhi’s success in foreign policy is a manifestation of its domestic policies.

“Today we can say that we have good relations with America, not only good, but also the best relations since independence… we are good with Russia, we have also maintained relations with Israel. The relationship with Iran is also good. We have a big connectivity proposal to build a corridor through Saudi Arabia and also a corridor through Iran and Russia. We are also members of the SCO with Russia and other countries. We have just seen the expansion of BRICS, Jaishankar said.

“So you have to understand that India’s current position, India’s reputation and India’s image in the world are different and India’s situation is also different. So for us, any foreign policy success is an expression of domestic policy…So the first thing we have to do is I said: there is tension in the world, there is conflict in the world, there is war in the world, there is instability in the world, but India’s position in this is very strong,” he added.

Drawing on a comparison with the past, the Foreign Minister highlighted the tremendous progress made in the past decade in infrastructure, including railways, metros and highways.

“Today it’s about infrastructure… There was a time when people said India has talent, but about manufacturing here they said, ‘Who goes there, extraction is very difficult, and sending raw materials there is very difficult. ‘ ‘ In the same India today, 28 kilometers of highway are being built every day, 14 kilometers of railway line every day, eight new airports every year and new metro systems are being built in two new metropolises every year.” .

He also highlighted a “positive exception” in India, citing Prime Minister Modi’s popularity, and said other world leaders are finding it difficult to be re-elected for a second or third term.

“You also see that there is a lot of political instability all over the world. You will rarely see a country like this where democracy is so difficult. The first re-election of the Prime Minister or President is very difficult. let alone the second. So we must first recognize that India is an exception, a positive exception in this global environment,” Jaishankar further said.

First print: May 26, 2024 | 11:37 PM IST