External Affairs Minister interacted with IITians in Madras: S. Jaishankar said – dialogue is necessary to avoid misunderstanding India’s intentions
Chennai. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said on Friday that effective communication with other countries is extremely important to avoid the situation of misunderstanding India’s intentions. Participating in an interaction program with students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Jaishankar said, “The way to stop people from misunderstanding you is communication. If you communicate well, clearly and honestly then other countries and people respect and accept that.”
He said, “Many people around the world are proud of their culture, tradition and heritage. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t do that.” Jaishankar said, ”There are very few ancient civilizations that exist today as major modern nation-states and India is one of them.
We have an understanding of our past that very few countries have…It was our decision to adopt the democratic political model that made the idea of democracy a universal political concept.”
He said, “If we had not chosen this path, the democratic ideal would have remained regional and narrow… Partnership with the West is also important and that is how we shape the world.”
Jaishankar said countries have progressed through domestic development and then international engagement and have used the international environment in ways that both benefit and contribute to them.
He said, “When we say ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, what we mean is that we have never seen the world as a hostile or hostile place from which we only have to protect ourselves defensively. Our resources are limited. How can you make maximum impact with limited resources?
“This is really the problem that needs to be solved.” Jaishankar said, “Today in Indian foreign policy and diplomacy we try to solve this problem. We try to do this by harnessing our competitiveness and strengths and taking advantage of other institutions and opportunities.
Comments are closed.