[ad_1]
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Varanasi on Sunday that India has always stood by its citizens abroad in times of crisis unlike “even developed countries” who leave their people “Bhagwan Bharus (alone)”.
He was interacting with students and intellectuals in a program titled “Indian Foreign Policy: Objectives and Characteristics” organized by the party’s local unit at Kachi Vidyapeth University.
His remarks came before an informal interaction with delegates attending the G20 Development Ministers meeting on June 11-13. While Jaishankar presides over the G20 meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to deliver a special video address at the start of formal deliberations on Monday.
Referring to the recent evacuation of stranded Indian nationals from Ukraine and Sudan, Jaishankar told the crowd, “In Ukraine, even the developed countries have left their citizens behind Bhagwan Bharus. They said the war is on, we can only do so much… But the Narendra Modi government has published Five ministers and 90 flights to get every Indian student out of this situation.”
Jaishankar also spoke about the performance of the Modi government in terms of foreign policy and governance in the past nine years.
“You will remember that Indians stranded in Ukraine were brought back. Populations were also brought back in Sudan through Operation Kaveri. His compatriots were brought in from Ukraine through 90 flights. There was an earthquake in Nepal, there was a storm in Myanmar.
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar had breakfast at the home of the BJP’s Dalit wing chief, Sujata Kumari. “The breakfast was delicious. From today onwards, we have G20 Programs in Varanasi; “There will be discussions about food security, grains, fertilizers and millet,” he said.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the G20 meeting in Varanasi is taking place amid growing global development challenges exacerbated by a combination of factors including economic slowdown, debt distress, climate change, food and energy insecurity and geopolitical conflicts. Officials said up to 200 delegates are attending the meeting.
MEA said the decisions taken at the Varanasi meeting will contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit, which is scheduled to be held in New York in September.
Later in the day, Jaishankar held bilateral meetings with visiting ministers, including Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Svenja Schulz; Australian Development Minister Pat Conroy; Rebekah Greenspan, Secretary General of UNCTAD; and Jutta Orbelinen, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships.
The formal deliberations on Monday consisted of two main sessions, one on “Multilateralism: Collective Actions to Accelerate Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals” and the other on “Green Development: The LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) Approach.”
Besides, cultural programmes, exhibitions and excursions have been organized to provide the delegates with a cultural glimpse of Varanasi. In the evening, Jaishankar and the G20 delegates attended the Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat.
[ad_2]
