Time to Introspect and Strategise How India, South Korea Could be Doing More by Making Efforts Differently: S Jaishankar

Foreign Affairs

Seoul: Highlighting India’s unprecedented reputation at the international level, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said March 5, 2024 that the people leaving India to explore global work opportunities now have confidence in the present government that the regime would take care of them even when they are abroad.

“You can see, today, an Indian leaving the shores of India, does so with a confidence which they didn’t have before. They have the confidence that whatever happens out there, there is a government that will look after them. That’s a very big feeling because when we look at the state of the world, more and more Indians will explore global work opportunities,” he said.

The Minister also underscored the significant contribution of Indian diaspora for strengthening New Delhi relations with other countries and said that the country is in the right path and doing right thing.

“There will be students going abroad. There will be people, you know, blue collar workers. There will be professionals. There will be, you know, people whose talents will be sought by companies across the world. So we have to give them that confidence. And we have shown in 10 years today,” he said.

“But those who live abroad also know, you know, that there are, that in many ways your hearts and minds are, a large part of it is always in India. So I know, you know, that all of you in different ways, contribute to the progress of our country. What is happening at home, the choices we make, the progress we make is very much in your minds. So I want today to both appreciate you as well as share with you that sense of confidence. I think that we are today on the right path, with the right leadership, doing the right thing, going up in the world,” he added.

Earlier, in his address at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy on ‘Broadening horizons: India-Korea Partnership in the Indo-Pacific’, Jaishankar stressed that it is time for two nations to introspect and strategise how the two countries could be doing more by making efforts differently.

EAM who is on a visit to South Korea said that ties between India and South Korea has expanded in different sectors and the benefits are visible to both nations. He said that India’s partnership with South Korea is acquiring “great salience” in a “more uncertain and volatile world.”