BJP leader S Jaishankar on Tuesday assumed charge of the External Affairs Ministry two days after being sworn in as a Cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi Cabinet 3.0 in a grand ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan  After taking charge as the External Affairs Minister, Jaishankar outlined his plans for India's pursuit of a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and its relations with China and Pakistan.

"In any country and especially in a democracy, it is a very big deal for a government to get elected three times in a row. So the world will definitely feel that today there is a lot of political stability in India...As far as Pakistan and China are concerned, the relations with those countries are different, and the problems there are also different. Our focus with regard to China will be on finding a solution for the border issues," he said.," he told ANI when asked about India's relations with Pakistan and China over the next five years.

S Jaishankar’s second term will primarily focus on managing the challenges posed by China's aggressive behaviour along the border, safeguarding India's interests amid the ongoing developments in West Asia, and addressing the conflict in Ukraine. "With Pakistan, we would want to find a solution to the issue of years-old cross-border terrorism," said Jaishankar.

Talking about the work that Foreign Ministry has done in the past years, Jaishankar said "It is an immense honour to be once again given the responsibility of leading the Ministry of External Affairs. In the last term, this ministry performed exceptionally well. We delivered the G20 presidency. We took on the challenges of Covid, including vaccine Maitri supplies.” 

“We were also the centre of crucial operations like Operation Ganga and Operation Kaveri. In the last decade, this ministry under the leadership of PM Modi has become a very people-centric ministry. You can see that in terms of our improved passport services, and community welfare fund support that we give to Indians abroad,” he added

Jaishankar held the position of India's foreign secretary during the initial tenure of the Modi government. Additionally, he has served as the Ambassador to the United States, China, and the Czech Republic. He also served as India's high commissioner to Singapore from 2007 to 2009. Furthermore, Jaishankar undertook various diplomatic roles in embassies located in Moscow, Colombo, Budapest, and Tokyo, as well as within the Ministry of External Affairs and the President's Secretariat.


(With Agency Inputs)