New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday defended the implementation of Agniveer Scheme in India which abruptly halted the recruitment of military personnel from Nepal and said that New Delhi will reform its policies prioritizing Indian interest, and “an Indian decision cannot be made because somebody else’s interest is at stake.”

“Why did we do Agniveer? We did it for ourselves. We will reform our armed forces, obviously with Indian interests in mind,” EAM Jaishankar said while interacting with students at a session on “Vishwa Bandhu Bharat” at Gargi College in New Delhi.

“Any reform, I’m not talking now, Agniveer, an Indian decision cannot be made because somebody else’s interest is at stake. India will decide on what is India’s interest,” he added.

The Union Cabinet on 14th June 2022 approved an attractive recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the Armed Forces called AGNIPATH and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers. AGNIPATH allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years.

After it was implemented in September 2022, the scheme stopped or abruptly halted recruitment from Nepal.

EAM Jaishankar also addressed India’s diplomatic row with Maldives and asserted that governments may have different viewpoints but the neighbour countries cannot move away from each other.

“They (Maldives) have their politics. Sometimes you have a government that may have a viewpoint about India, but at the end of the day, we tell them saying, look, we are all neighbours. We can’t move away from each other,” EAM said.

“Example that somebody can give you, I can give you a reverse example, say, in Nepal, you know, for years, Nepal has a tremendous power, ability to generate electricity. We are logical customers, but for political reasons, they never did it. Now they are willing to do it in Sri Lanka, as I said, Sri Lankans know actually who really helped them out. If you go to Bangladesh today, the thinking about India has changed fundamentally,” he asserted India’s strengthening relations with its neighbours.

His remarks came as Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer departed from Male to pay an official visit to India amid strained ties triggered after Maldives asked India to replace its military personnel from the island nation.

Meanwhile, India has said that it will replace its military personnel from Maldives before May 10.

On May 3, India and Maldives held the 4th meeting of the bilateral High-Level Core Group and reviewed the replacement of Indian military personnel from the Island nation by May 10 and noted that the government will replace military personnel before the noted time. Earlier, the Mohamed Muizzu-led Maldives government formally requested that India withdraw its troops from Male.

Earlier, addressing the controversy surrounding Nepal’s depiction of certain Indian territories on its currency notes, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar highlighted the complexities of managing relationships with neighbouring countries.

S Jaishankar acknowledged that dealing with neighbouring nations often involves navigating political intricacies.

“Sometimes, dealing with our neighbours involves navigating a bit of politics. It’s about balancing our interests with theirs,” said EAM Jaishankar during a press interaction here on Sunday.

He also cautioned that there might not be positivity towards India among all its neighbours, citing instances where unfavourable opinions have been voiced. “If you visit places like Sri Lanka, you might hear some unfavourable opinions from government officials or individuals,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Surat:

The Indian government has taken up on priority the issue of ban on imports of Russian-origin unpolished diamonds by the European Union (EU) and G7 nations as the measure will end up hurting the domestic diamond polishing industry mainly centred in Gujarat’s Surat city, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday.

The initial stage of an EU and G7 ban on imports of Russia-origin diamonds via third countries came into effect in early March, a step taken as part of sanctions on Moscow in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

“Our effort is to delay (the initial stage of ban), soften it, and best of all, not let this happen at all. For us, this has become a priority issue, and we will try to find out a solution in coming days,” S Jaishankar said.

He was responding to a question on how the ban is going to hurt the Surat diamond industry, which polishes 90 per cent of the world’s rough diamond.

S Jaishankar said at an interaction with young business leaders organised by the Disha Foundation in Surat that the 27-member EU has imposed sanctions on imports of Russian diamonds, and G7, the group of the world’s wealthiest nations, is also going in that direction.

The countries which have banned the imports of Russian rough diamonds via third countries as part of sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine are only consumers and their employment does not depend on it, the minister noted.

“Their idea is to hurt Russia. And this subject is completely different from blood diamonds. Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has himself raised the issue with different leaders and sent me to different countries, including Belgium (which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency), to discuss the issue with the government there,” S Jaishankar emphasised.

Sanction have been currently imposed on 1-carat diamond, and the issue can be resolved if there is a ceasefire (between Russia and Ukraine), but this is not likely to happen any time soon, he said.

“If the war continues, it will create challenges (for the Indian diamond industry). We are holding discussions collectively and on a bilateral basis over the issue. Only a few days ago, PM Modi talked to the Belgian Prime Minister (Alexander De Croo), and our (Union Commerce) Minister Piyush Goyal is going to follow up on this in the next few days,” S Jaishankar informed.

The government’s effort is to make the EU and G7 countries understand that their decision ends up hurting the third person and not the target (a reference to Russia), the minister pointed out.

As far as the challenges that the Surat textile industry faces from Bangladesh and Vietnam are concerned, the Indian government’s effort to enter into a Free Trade Agreement with the EU will help tackle them as the sector will be a big beneficiary of such a business pact, he noted.

In his interaction, S Jaishankar stressed that instead of following the ‘China Plus One’ strategy, entering into the new supply chain being created across the world and gaining a foothold in the digital world through India’s reputation of trustworthiness will help the country’s industry.

The strategy encourages companies to diversify their supply chain and manufacturing activities away from China to mitigate risks.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has received praise from his Russia counterpart for asking the West “to mind their own business” when it questioned India’s procurement of Russian oil after the Ukraine war began. 

Russian FM recalls words of ‘amigo’ Jaishankar, who advised Europeans to look at themselves before lecturing others

“My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He… pic.twitter.com/nD4C0YHMDj

— Sputnik India (@Sputnik_India) March 4, 2024

In a video shared by Russian news agency Sputnik, the country’s foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov is seen addressing the World Youth Forum in Sochi. “My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He advised them to mind their own business and reminded them at the same time how much oil the West had started buying and continued to buy oil from the Russian Federation. This is national dignity,” Lavrov says in Russian.

After the Ukraine war broke out, most countries of the West imposed sanctions on Moscow and stopped buying crude Russian oil. India, however, refused to play along. Dr Jaishankar articulated New Delhi’s position on international forums, emphasising that Indian citizens cannot afford high energy prices and that the Narendra Modi government is only trying to get the best deal possible for its citizens.

The foreign minister also called out Europe’s “double standards” and said that it needs to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.

More recently, Dr Jaishankar was asked about India’s continuing procurement of Russian oil at a security conference in Munich. He was asked if this becomes a problem in its equations with other major allies.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock by his side, Dr Jaishankar replied, “Why should it be a problem? I am smart enough to have multiple options. You should be admiring and not criticising. Is it a problem for others? I do not think so.”

The External Affairs Minister has said India’s position on the Ukraine war is “very clear and very public”. “The Indian position articulated by my prime minister is that this is not an era of war and that dialogue and diplomacy is the answer,” he has said.

The Narendra Modi government’s stand has received praise from Moscow earlier, too. In January, Russia President Vladimir Putin said Moscow “can rely on India and its leadership because it is assured that New Delhi won’t play ‘games’ against them on the international stage”.

“India is pursuing an independent foreign policy, which is not easy in today’s world. But India, with a population of 1.5 billion, has the right to do so. And under the leadership of the Prime Minister, that right is being realised. This is not just a statement, it is important from the point of organising joint work because it gives us the opportunity to forecast the actions of our partners in medium and long terms,” Putin said.

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has received praise from his Russia counterpart for asking the West “to mind their own business” when it questioned India’s procurement of Russian oil after the Ukraine war began. 

Russian FM recalls words of ‘amigo’ Jaishankar, who advised Europeans to look at themselves before lecturing others

“My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He… pic.twitter.com/nD4C0YHMDj

— Sputnik India (@Sputnik_India) March 4, 2024

In a video shared by Russian news agency Sputnik, the country’s foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov is seen addressing the World Youth Forum in Sochi. “My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He advised them to mind their own business and reminded them at the same time how much oil the West had started buying and continued to buy oil from the Russian Federation. This is national dignity,” Lavrov says in Russian.

After the Ukraine war broke out, most countries of the West imposed sanctions on Moscow and stopped buying crude Russian oil. India, however, refused to play along. Dr Jaishankar articulated New Delhi’s position on international forums, emphasising that Indian citizens cannot afford high energy prices and that the Narendra Modi government is only trying to get the best deal possible for its citizens.

The foreign minister also called out Europe’s “double standards” and said that it needs to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.

More recently, Dr Jaishankar was asked about India’s continuing procurement of Russian oil at a security conference in Munich. He was asked if this becomes a problem in its equations with other major allies.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock by his side, Dr Jaishankar replied, “Why should it be a problem? I am smart enough to have multiple options. You should be admiring and not criticising. Is it a problem for others? I do not think so.”

The External Affairs Minister has said India’s position on the Ukraine war is “very clear and very public”. “The Indian position articulated by my prime minister is that this is not an era of war and that dialogue and diplomacy is the answer,” he has said.

The Narendra Modi government’s stand has received praise from Moscow earlier, too. In January, Russia President Vladimir Putin said Moscow “can rely on India and its leadership because it is assured that New Delhi won’t play ‘games’ against them on the international stage”.

“India is pursuing an independent foreign policy, which is not easy in today’s world. But India, with a population of 1.5 billion, has the right to do so. And under the leadership of the Prime Minister, that right is being realised. This is not just a statement, it is important from the point of organising joint work because it gives us the opportunity to forecast the actions of our partners in medium and long terms,” Putin said.

New Delhi:

There are strong links between jobs creation, infrastructure growth and ensuring private capital from abroad can easily access manufacturing opportunities in the domestic market, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar explained Tuesday in an exclusive interview with NDTV.

He said it the government had to build infrastructure and frame policies that make it easy for investors to invest in or run businesses in India, and then took a veiled dig at the opposition, referring to “people blocking infrastructure… business” and accusing them of “blocking employment in this country”.

“From ’14 (when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power) we have started to rectify policies that made it hard to not just manufacture in this country, but also employ in this country,” Mr Jaishankar responded to a question on making India a more appealing destination for foreign investment.

“… if you were to ask me, ‘Have we done a lot in the last 10 years?’, my answer would be ‘Yes.’ Do we have to do a lot more in the next 10? My answer would be ‘Yes.’ I think there were real mistakes and shortcomings on our part…”

“You know… people often put this in terms of ‘business’. I also put it to you… to me ‘business’ and ’employment’ are two sides of the same coin. The people who are blocking infrastructure… people blocking business… are also people blocking employment.”

Mr Jaishankar stressed on the need to surmount these challenges and said, “Today, I would say, this is how we become more competitive… how we create, bring in jobs” and highlighted the Prime Minister’s June visit to the United States, during which a semiconductor manufacturing firm said it would set up an $825 million plant in Gujarat.

Micron Technology, Inc. said construction of the facility in Gujarat – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state – will begin this year and the first phase will be operational in late-2024.

The goal, Mr Jaishankar told NDTV, is to make India “the place we (foreign companies) are going to go and put up (manufacturing business)… this is what this is all about.”

New Delhi:
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today laid down India’s vision and plan on global issues during an exclusive interview with NDTV today

Here are the top quotes from the interview