Singapore, March 24 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised on India-Singapore ties during his interaction with the Indian community in Singapore on Sunday and said it was a privilege to have been personally involved in this journey for at least a decade and a half.
Jaishankar said, "Today when we speak about India in the Indo-Pacific, the story in many ways actually began with Singapore."
While addressing the community in Singapore he added, "As our connections grew closer, as the community has grown as india has become more globalized, the ties between India and Singapore have reflected that and it's been my privilege to be part of this journey atleast for a decade and a half personally."
Furthermore, he opened up an instance about 30 years ago when India's relationship with Singapore began to thrive and further added, "This was also an era when India gave up on policies which did not serve her well and took much more open and constructive view of the opportunities in the world and a series of reforms thereafter took place"
"And in many ways what began then, have actually opened up vistas for India in the Pacific and today when we speak about India in the indo-pacific, the story in many ways actually began with Singapore," he added.
Adding more in his address he emphasized, "When it comes to this relationship as a foreign minister today visiting Singapore, reflecting on the history of our ties I do want to emphasize that the more india globalizes the greater the rise of India, the more prominented becomes in terms of its economic way, in terms of its political influence. I'm sure every aspect of this rise will be reflected in the intensity and the quality of the relationship with Singapore."
"So Singapore has been our partner in the globalisation of India and that role, that companionship is something that India's value very deeply," S jaishankar added.
Moreover, he talked about the role of Singapore around 7-8 years back when Singapore hosted Subhas Chandra Bose and provided him a platform for the Indian Freedom Movement.
Meanwhile, EAM jaishankar added about India and Sri Lanka relations while referring to an instance that happened around Covid, referring as a 'very daunting situation' for us
He said, When we had an economic crisis in Sri Lanka, you actually watched a neighbour struggle, I mean, in a sense the economy was sinking by the day. And everybody was debating what to do, not to do, you know, but nobody was moving."
"Finally it took an India to make not just the first move but to make the big move and we gave a package of four and a half billion dollars to support Sri Lanka," he added
While addressing Sri Lanka, S Jaishanakar emphasised the part that during challenging times the true intentions become evident.
He quotes, "The world is full of homilies about being good neighbours. But when it is crunch time, you can actually see who steps forward and who gives lectures. "
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