External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India takes a firm stance against terrorism since "we are big victims of terrorism," news agency ANI reported. Jaishankar's remarks come at a time when Israel and Hamas are at odds, and New Delhi voted against a UN resolution that did not denounce Hamas terror actions. He also emphasised the importance of taking a "consistent position" on terrorism.
"Today, a good government and strong governance stand up for its people. Just as good governance is necessary at home, right judgements are necessary abroad. We take a strong position on terrorism because we are big victims of terrorism. We will have no credibility if we say that when terrorism impacts us, it's very serious; when it happens to somebody else, it's not serious. We need to have a consistent position," Jaishankar stated while addressing a gathering at a Town hall in Bhopal yesterday.
In Bhopal, EAM Jaishankar emphasised how India's image has transformed throughout the world.
"So, how do you have a government that stands for what is necessary and in the best interest of its people? A strong government and good government are two sides of one coin. In the last few decades, India's image in the world has changed a lot. The way we handled the pandemic when developed nations were too stressful; as some had a totally collapsed public health response. We made, 'Made in India'...'Invent in India' vaccine, we had a COWIN platform as well," the EAM was quoted by ANI in its report.
"Similarly, when every other country looks after the welfare of its people and its economic interests, the same countries in Europe are saying don't buy oil from Russia; they were themselves taking it and they made such a schedule that impacts their own population in the least possible way," he said.
India Conduct Big Operation Every Year To Bring Its Citizens From Conflicts Zones: Jaishankar
Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar emphasised the necessity of caring for a country's diaspora, saying that India has carried out one such operation every year since 2015 to bring back its residents from various areas of the world during times of danger. He stated that at any one moment, India must care for around 3.5 crore people living outside the nation, which necessitates daily planning.
Speaking at an event at Town Hall in Bhopal, Jaishankar said: “Since 2015, we have had one big operation every year. Operation Maitri in Nepal, Operation Rahat in Yemen, Sankat Mochan in South Sudan. This is today, necessary. And to do this today, you need to have the preparation, thinking, planning and resources”.
“In Turkey during the earthquakes, in Israel during the terror attacks, we had to bring our people back. During Covid, there was a mission called Vande Bharat mission. Through this, we brought back 70 lakh people back to India. No country in the world has ever done this,” he was quoted by ANI in its report.