External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on January 2 that India has every right to defend its people when it comes to “bad neighbours”, saying the neighboring country cannot ask New Delhi to share water if it continues to spread terrorism in the country.
At the same time, he said with “good neighbours”, India is investing, helping and sharing, be it vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, fuel and food support during Ukrainian conflictor four billion in aid to Sri Lanka during its financial crisis.
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Without naming Pakistan, Jaishankar said India has every right to defend its people when it comes to “bad neighbours”.
“India’s growth is an uplifting tide for the region and most of our neighbors recognize that if India grows, they grow with us. But when it comes to bad neighbors who persevere with terrorismIndia has every right to defend its people and will do whatever is necessary. You cannot ask us to share our water with you and also spread terrorism in our country,” he said while interacting with students at IIT Madras.
The Union Minister he said it is important to communicate with other countries to avoid a situation where India’s intentions are misinterpreted.
“The way to prevent people from misreading you is to communicate. If you communicate well, clearly and honestly, other countries and other people respect and accept that.
Many people around the world are proud of their culture, traditions and heritage. I see no reason why we shouldn’t be,” he said, pointing out that there are “really very few” ancient civilizations that have survived to become significant. modern nation statesand India is one of them.
“We have a sense of our past that very few countries have… It was our decision to choose a democratic political model that made the very idea of democracy a universal political concept.
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“If we didn’t go down this path, the democratic model as we know it would be regional and narrow… Partnership with the West is also important, and that’s how we shape the world,” he added.
Jaishankar noted that he was in Bangladesh just two days ago to represent India at the funeral of the former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
“But more generally, our approach to the neighborhood is guided by common sense. With good neighbours, India invests, helps and shares – whether it was vaccines during COVID, fuel and food support during the Ukraine conflict or $4 billion aid to Sri Lanka during its financial crisis,” he said.
Jaishankar also launched ‘IITM Global Research Foundation”, a landmark international initiative by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras aimed at positioning the institute as a globally connected hub for education, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
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He said countries have progressed by growing at home and then engaging abroad, using the international environment in ways that contribute to and benefit from growth.
“When We Say”Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam“, the term is that we’ve never seen the world as a hostile or hostile place that we have to defensively protect ourselves from. We have limitations on our resources. How do you have maximum impact with limited resources? That’s actually a problem that needs to be addressed,” he stressed.
“What we are trying to do today in Indian foreign policy and diplomacy is to solve this problem. We are trying to do that partly by using our competitiveness and strengths and using institutions and options,” he added.
Key things
- India prioritizes defense and security in the face of terrorism from neighboring countries.
- Good diplomatic relations are essential for mutual growth and cooperation.
- Effective communication can prevent misinterpretation of India’s intentions on the global stage.
