External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday shared a light-hearted moment with young people at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in New Delhi over an inquiry on which was better: his prior life as a minister, or the ongoing one as a leader.
"Sab ko jawani achhi lagti hai (Everybody likes energy)," he jested, as the crowd erupted in laughter.
He immediately responded, "I will take your question seriously," and the man who asked the question informed him that as he "follows" him, he would set his goals based on the response.
Jaishankar discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'ability to innovate with youth during the event, he said in a tweet. He additionally talked about India's situation in the Ukraine war.
India's exchange with Russia has seen a lift in the fallout of the Ukraine struggle, he said, focusing on the fact that the interests of Indian individuals should be focused on in the country's political commitment.
The External Affairs Minister stated, "Russia's main economic partner was the Western countries. After the Ukraine conflict, that way was closed. Russia is now turning more and more towards Asia. Our trade before the Ukraine conflict was about 12–14 billion dollars, our trade last year was 40 billion dollars."
"So, you will see the Asian economies become partners. I think we should not worry too much about what they are doing with other countries. We should keep our own relationship with Russia going and see how the interest of the Indian people is best served," Mr Jaishankar said in a video shared by news agency ANI.
No country can progress without embracing technology, R&D: Jaishankar
No nation can advance without embracing technology and research and development, Jaishankar said. "Globalisation has broken down the boundaries between inside and outside and you should understand what is happening around you," he said citing the impacts of the Covid pandemic and Ukraine war on the prices of petroleum products and food grains.
He stated that a number of changes have occurred over the past nine years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
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