Exterior Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has emphasised India’s distinctive place in addressing world conflicts, citing its means to have interaction with each Russia and Ukraine, in addition to Israel and Iran. Talking to the Indian neighborhood throughout his two-day go to to Spain, Jaishankar outlined India’s rising affect in world diplomacy amidst a polarized world.
“There are only a few nations at this time who’re able to speak to Russia and to Ukraine,” Jaishankar mentioned, referencing India’s balanced strategy to the Ukraine battle. He added that India maintains comparable diplomatic flexibility with Israel and Iran.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi final yr visited Russia twice and in addition went to Kyiv in Ukraine,” Jaishankar famous. He highlighted Modi’s position in bridging divides as a member of influential teams just like the Quad and BRICS.
Jaishankar spotlighted India’s latest diplomatic achievements, together with its pivotal position in integrating the African Union into the G20. “This could have been performed years in the past, and we made it occur,” he mentioned.
The minister additionally celebrated India’s home progress, pointing to infrastructure milestones like constructing 4,000 kilometers of recent rail tracks yearly, establishing 28 kilometers of highways each day, and doubling the variety of airports from 75 to over 150 previously decade.
In city growth, Jaishankar highlighted the growth of metro methods, rising from six cities in 2014 to 21 at this time, with plans to increase to 60 cities.
Throughout his first official go to to Spain as exterior affairs minister, Jaishankar met with Spanish International Minister José Manuel Albares to debate regional and world points. He introduced plans for India and Spain to mark 2026 as a “twin yr,” celebrating tradition, tourism, and developments in synthetic intelligence.
Jaishankar shared his private connection to Spain, recalling his 2017 go to with Prime Minister Modi and commending Spanish President Pedro Sanchez’s go to to India final yr for strengthening bilateral ties.
A big growth throughout his go to was the announcement of a brand new Spanish consulate in Bengaluru, a transfer he described as a “good signal” for deepening relations.
Addressing the Indian diaspora, Jaishankar credited Prime Minister Modi for recognizing and amplifying their contributions to India’s world standing. “The largest change I’ve seen within the final 10 years is the significance that the Authorities of India and its individuals have positioned on the contribution of diaspora,” he mentioned, urging them to remain linked with India.
Jaishankar additionally celebrated India’s strides in house know-how, notably the Chandrayaan-Three mission’s profitable touchdown on the moon’s south facet.
