India's ties with West Asian countries transformed under PM Modi, says EAM Jaishankar

New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday emphasised the remarkable transformation in India’s relations with West Asian countries since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014.

Addressing the gathering at Flame University, Pune, EAM Jaishankar highlighted the proactive diplomatic efforts that have strengthened ties with nations that were historically less engaged with India.

One notable example is the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where PM Modi’s visit in 2015 marked only the second time an Indian Prime Minister had travelled there, following late PM Indira Gandhi.

EAM Jaishankar pointed out that before this, there was minimal effort to engage the UAE, despite its proximity.

He explained that while India shares a complex history with its neighbours, recent developments have prompted countries to reassess their relationships with New Delhi, particularly in light of China’s growing influence.

“Countries are looking to optimise their relationships,” Jaishankar noted, acknowledging that many neighbours have turned to China for advantages.

He emphasised India's emerging status as a competitive economic power, poised to become the third-largest economy in the coming years.

Focussing on the Maldives, EAM Jaishankar stated that India plays a crucial role in meeting the island nation's essential needs, offering special trade concessions that are unique to the Maldives.

He highlighted successful Indian projects, including the Jal Jeevan Mission, which provides piped water and sanitation facilities to numerous Maldivian islands.

EAM Jaishankar recently inaugurated water and sewerage projects on 26 islands, illustrating India’s commitment to strengthening its presence and influence in the region.

He further asserted that the most pressing issue with China is disengagement and the second one is de-escalation.

"If I can roll that back a bit, since 2020, the situation at the border has been very disturbed, which has understandably had a very negative impact on the overall relationship with China. Since September 2020, we have been negotiating with the Chinese on how to find a solution. There are different aspects to the solution, but the most pressing issue is disengagement, as the troops are very close to each other, and the possibility of an incident is significant. So that is the first set of issues.

"Then there is de-escalation. Then there is a larger issue of how you manage the border and how you negotiate the boundaries. Right now, whatever is happening in China is happening due to the first part which is disengagement. We were trying to negotiate patrolling issues at the India-China border," he added.

--IANS

jk/rad