'Since My Statement Was Repeatedly Disrupted In Parliament...': Jaishankar's Video Message On Foreign Policy

Briefing on the country's recent developments on the international stage, Jaishankar emphasised the significance of PM Modi's recent visits to the United States, Papua New Guinea, and Egypt.

File Photo Of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

Source : PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted the thrust of his remarks on Friday after his statement to Parliament on recent developments in Indian foreign policy was repeatedly interrupted on Thursday. Jaishankar briefed the audience via video on previous significant high-level meetings attended, participated in, or represented by Indian top officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu, as well as their respective recent visits to other countries. 

In a tweet, Jaishanker while presenting the gist of his remarks posted: "Yesterday, my statement to the Parliament on recent developments in Indian foreign policy was continuously disrupted.  Here is a thrustofmyremarks."

Yesterday, my statement to the Parliament on recent developments in Indian foreign policy was continuously disrupted.
Here is a thrust of my remarks. https://t.co/fXikQSVhfj

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 28, 2023

Briefing on the country's recent developments on the international stage, Jaishankar emphasised the significance of PM Modi's recent visits to the United States, Papua New Guinea, and Egypt. The EAM emphasised the impact of these developments on the international stage in a twenty-one-minute broadcast video.

"...PM Narendra Modi's official state visit to the United States from June 20-23 was only the second by an Indian Prime Minister," Jaishankar said. "He was granted the rare honour of addressing a joint session of the United States Congress for the second time... The agreement between GE Aerospace and HAL to manufacture the GE414 jet engine in India for light combat aircraft has given India's defence sector a significant boost. India has been working on this for decades, and this breakthrough represents a significant step forward in technological cooperation...," he continued.

"ISRO and NASA signed the ARTEMIS accords for the exploration of outer space for peaceful purposes. They would cooperate in human space flights and launch a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024..."

"During his US visit, PM led the 9th International Day of Yoga on 21st June at the UN Headquarters in New York, which involved 135 nationalities," EAM Dr S Jaishankar said. "This is a Guinness World Record...PM met with 14 counterparts and the UN Secretary-General at the G7 Summit in Japan...Following that, he paid a historic visit to Australia, one of the highlights of which was the signing of a migration and mobility partnership agreement," he added further. 

When members of the opposition disrupted Jaishankar's statement on Indian foreign policy in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Union Minister Piyush Goyal retaliated. Goyal accused the opposition of attempting to conceal their wrongdoings behind their black clothing while protesting.

The House reconvened after an adjournment until 2 pm, and allowed Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to raise a point of order. In response to the disruption of the External Affairs Minister's statement, Goyal objected and refused to allow Chowdhury to speak. The government and opposition continued their verbal brawl, with slogans over the Manipur issue prompting a 20-minute adjournment of the House.

Earlier in the session, Jaishankar provided a detailed summary of the President's, Vice-President's, and Prime Minister's foreign engagements over the previous four months. However, the opposition members' loud sloganeering, chanting "INDIA, INDIA," made it difficult to hear the minister's statement clearly.

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