S Jaishankar took charge, told on whose foreign policies India will work

New Delhi: Diplomat-turned-politician S. Jaishankar, on Tuesday, as he/she began his/her second term as foreign minister, said ‘India First’ and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ will be the two guiding principles of the country’s foreign policy. he/she said the new government’s focus will be on making India a ‘Vishwa Bandhu’ (world brother) in a divided world facing conflicts and tensions. Jaishankar is among those BJP leaders who have been given the responsibility of the same ministries that they handled in the previous government. Many senior leaders, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and Nirmala Sitharaman, have been given the same ministries again that they had in the previous government.

‘India will be established as a world brother’
Jaishankar said, ‘Looking at the future, I certainly think that the two principles that the Prime Minister has given us – India First and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, will be the two guiding principles of Indian foreign policy.’ he/she said, ‘We are confident that together we will establish ourselves as Vishwa Bandhu in a troubled, divided world, full of conflicts and tensions.’

Foreign ministers also welcomed their colleagues
Jaishankar also welcomed his/her ministerial colleagues Pabitra Margherita and Kirti Vardhan Singh to the Ministry of External Affairs. Margherita, a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, and Singh, who won the Lok Sabha election from Gonda constituency in Uttar Pradesh, are the new Ministers of State in the Ministry of External Affairs. Jaishankar said, “It is a great honour, a great privilege for me that I have once again been given the responsibility to lead the Ministry of External Affairs. You all know that this ministry had really performed exceptionally in the last term.”

Emphasis on India’s ‘neighbor first’ policy
Emphasising the importance of India’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy, Jaishankar referred to the invitation of leaders of Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Seychelles and Mauritius to the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers. “All our neighbouring countries came (to the swearing-in ceremony) and Prime Minister Modi met all of them. Our relations as neighbours will be the first priority and the top priority of the Modi government,” he/she said.

Will India demand a permanent seat in the UNSC?
Asked whether the new government would seek a permanent seat for India in the United Nations Security Council, Jaishankar did not give a direct answer and said the country’s influence is constantly growing. Jaishankar emerged as one of the leading ministers who did good work in Prime Minister Modi’s previous government, from neutralizing Western criticism of the purchase of crude oil from Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine to formulating a firm policy approach to deal with China. he/she is also credited with bringing foreign policy matters for discussion on the domestic platform, especially during India’s presidency of the G-20. Currently Jaishankar is a member of the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.

Jaishankar has served as India’s Foreign Secretary (2015-18), Ambassador to the US (2013-15), to China (2009-2013) and to the Czech Republic (2000-2004). he/she was also India’s High Commissioner to Singapore (2007-2009). Jaishankar has also served in embassies in Moscow, Colombo, Budapest and Tokyo, as well as in other diplomatic positions in the Ministry of External Affairs and the President’s Secretariat.