Keeping India's interests in the right perspective

New Delhi. It has been 2 months since External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar took charge of the Ministry of External Affairs. During this time, he made official visits to many countries, the main objective of which has been to further strengthen relations with India.

Jaishankar first visited Sri Lanka under India's 'Neighbor First' policy after taking charge as Foreign Minister for the second consecutive time on June 11. During this, he discussed a wide range of partnership issues with the top leadership of Sri Lanka. After this, he visited the UAE and discussed various issues of partnership with his counterpart.

Jaishankar, who visited Qatar in late June, held talks with the Qatar PM and his counterpart, focusing on political, trade, investment, energy, technology and culture. Jaishankar represented India at the SCO Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, where he met his Chinese counterpart and stressed the need for an early resolution of disputed issues in the border areas.

After this, the Foreign Minister, who went on a visit to Mauritius, discussed development partnership, economic and trade relations with the PM there. He participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting in Tokyo at the end of July, where he made it clear that only cooperation among the 'Quad' countries can ensure that the Indo-Pacific region remains free, open, stable and secure. Jaishankar made it clear at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting in Vientiane, Laos that political, economic and security cooperation with ASEAN is India's top priority. He is currently on a visit to Maldives.

In his first term (2019-2024), Jaishankar has presented a very sharp, but extremely practical face of Indian diplomacy, which has kept India's interests in the right perspective in the rapidly changing global system.

While on the one hand Jaishankar has helped establish America as India's closest strategic partner, on the other hand, despite American opposition, he has strengthened relations with the oldest strategic partner like Russia. In the last few years, the way India has successfully presented its claim to become the leader of the Global South (developing and poor countries) on the global platform, credit for this also goes to Jaishankar. Under India's 'Neighbor First' policy, he has also worked to strengthen relations with neighboring countries. (Report. Shashwat Tiwari)