Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India has managed to help its nationals in wars and conflicts because he has acquired credibility in the world and the Indian flag is now strong in the world.
In an interview with ANI, Modi said that he shifted the levels of diplomacy at the onset of his tenure in 2014 by doing away with the protocol. He said that receiving heads of states and governments personally irrespective of the Ministry of External Affairs’ (MEA) protocol made way for the strengthening of personal relationships that came in handy later.
Recalling the conflicts in Yemen and Ukraine, Modi said the relationships with the King of Saudi Arabia and the leaders of Ukraine and Russia allowed him to produce breaks in the fighting for the evacuation of Indians from those conflict zones.
Touching upon India’s relationships with neighbours, Modi said that India follows the policy of Neighbourhood First and the countries have also come to count on India in challenging situations like natural calamities and economic turmoil.
‘Personal relations are very much there’
When asked about personality politics at the world stage, Modi said that personal relations are very much there in foreign policy.
Modi said that if Indian diplomacy is stuck in protocol, then India will not be able to perform.
“The power of diplomacy is also there in the informal. It is not the same in the protocol. In the protocol, it is more of positioning: who will come first, who will shake hands first, etc,” said Modi, adding that the act of receiving visiting foreign leaders personally at the time of swearing-in in 2014 “opened all the doors” for him.
“First day, we did not even have a foreign minister. I was completely new to all these things. I decided to go to the gate to receive them. So, the whole system was shaken…For me, that one action opened all the doors for me. That’s why instead of being stuck in protocol, I focused on performance. I have tried to shift the level of diplomacy and I have succeeded in that,” said Modi.
PM Modi recalls interventions in Yemen, Ukraine
In the interview, Modi recalled his intervention in the Yemen Civil War in 2015 and the Ukraine War in 2015. He recalled his conversations with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz regarding Yemen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
Hailing India’s stature in the world, Modi said that the Indian flag has become his guarantee to get things done.
“I spoke to the Saudi King and told him that I want to bring people from Yemen there: your bombarding is going on and we are not able to do it. How will you help us? So, he said, ‘please try to understand me’…There was a period on the request of India in which there was no bombarding. During that time, we took our people out in aircraft. We brought about 5,000 people from Yemen. It was the same in Ukraine,” said Modi.
Highlighting his relationship with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders, Modi said, “I have a similar relationship with Russia. I have been very friendly with both the presidents. I can publicly say to President Putin that this is not the time for war. I can also say publicly to Ukraine that we should follow the path of dialogue.”
‘Our neighbours count on us’
In the light of India’s Neighbourhood First policy, India’s neighbours have come to expect a lot from India in a positive way, said Modi.
Listing out the ways in which India has helped its neighbours, Modi said be it the Nepal Earthquake or the Sri Lankan economic crisis, there is not a country in the region that India has not helped in its time of need.
When asked about the relationship with Pakistan, China, and the Maldives where friction has been seen, Modi said, “Their internal policy is important. More than the relations between India and those countries, some things are important for their internal politics.”
‘IMEC will be game changer like Silk Route’
While talking about the Indian presidency of the G-20, Modi referred to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and said that it would be a game changer like the ancient Silk Route that connected the East and the West in that era.
The IMEC is a network of connectivity of maritime, rail, and road projects connecting India with Europe via the Middle East that was announced during the last year’s G-20 Summit held in Delhi.
“We have worked on the IMEC which is going to be a big game changer like the Silk Route was a game changer. There was a positive and proactive role of the Gulf countries. India got an opportunity to play a good role. The US and Europe were with us. Everyone thought that there would be a concrete positive outcome…There was an opportunity to get the Saudi King and President Biden together, and I had a good friendship with both,” said Modi.
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