India has natural bonding with Latin America, says Jaishankar

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New Delhi, February 23

India has a natural bonding and convergence of interests on key global issues with Latin American and Caribbean countries and the focus of the Modi government has been on expanding the two-way engagement in a range of areas, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar while giving touching examples of circumstances in which India opened two missions in Latin American countries.

The minister cited examples to point out that India and many Latin American and the Caribbean countries have a similar stance on several key global issues.

Annual trade expanding

The volume of India’s annual trade with Latin America and the Caribbean stands at more than $50 billion and it is growing further. —S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister

“I must also tell you, barring a few Foreign Ministers, I have the WhatsApp number of almost everybody in Latin America and the Caribbean. There is something shifting out there, which should be relevant,” he said while speaking at the valedictory session of an international conference on Latin America and the Caribbean, “Connected Histories, Shared Present”, at the India International Centre (IIC) on Wednesday in the presence of former J&K Governor NN Vohra, IIC President Shyam Saran and Director KN Shrivastava.

The embassy in Paraguay was opened after its Foreign Minister asked Jaishankar, “What have we done to offend you? Ever since we can remember, in every conceivable forum we have been supportive of you.”

“The first thing I did when I came back was to tell the PM, I really need to open that embassy,” said Jaishankar.

The other embassy in Dominican Republic was opened after the dean of the diplomatic corps in Delhi told Jaishankar, “Look I’m the dean and you don’t have an embassy in the country from where the dean comes.”

South Block then looked at the trade numbers and found them substantial. “I think this is a region, which has a very powerful case for much greater interaction, much greater presence. And that is the case, really I want to make before you,” he summarised.

At another event in Pune, the EAM said India’s image was of a country that was willing to go to any extent to protect its national security. “It (India) is not a country that goes around picking fights with other people, but it is a country that will not allow its basic bottom lines to be crossed,” he said.