NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed the central government’s commitment towards safeguarding the interests of Indians traveling or residing abroad. He added that the country had gained a “better reputation” in recent years in defending national interests at a global level.
“We want today’s Indians going abroad, whether they are tourists, whether they are students, whether they are professionals, whether they are people who live abroad, to have that confidence that the government thinks about you, the government has your back. If you are in a jam, we are there. This is not just a statement. It is a commitment that is backed by a system that is, as I said, based on applications of technology and the creation of a certain structure of action,” Jaishankar said while interacting with the Indian community in Dublin, Ireland on Friday.
“There is also, of course, we live in a world where countries depend on each other. I think again we have in many ways in recent years, gained a better reputation, not only for defending our interests, but also for standing by others,” he added.
Recently, the opposition protested against the Centre over the treatment meted out to illegal Indian deportees, who were sent back in handcuffs from the US, raising slogans such as “Indians insulted. India won’t stay silent.”
Jaishankar, however, reiterated India’s positive image outside and said, “I always tell others that when we speak of the image of India. They don’t look at a map to have an image of India. They remember a person. They remember somebody they know, some experience with them, a face, relationship, a feeling. And while I have experienced this across the world, I must tell you.”
Speaking on India-Ireland ties, Jaishankar said, “Ireland, in many ways, was an exception because it was itself occupied. So we’ve always had a special connection with Ireland. When we look at how the Irish themselves have built their nation, their freedom struggle, how they have revived their culture because the colonial period, you know, colonial power tries to erase the culture. There is so much that is worth knowing, worth learning, and worth thinking about. And so even though, you know, I had official meetings, I still did two things today, which I’m sure many of you have done, but if you have not, I would recommend it.”