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Mandira Nayar
Mandira Nayar

MEA

In mid-term report, MEA takes pride in being saviour to distressed Indians abroad

11-sushma-swaraj-pti.jpg.image.975.568 (File) Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj

It is official. 'If you’re in trouble, think of us' is what the Ministry of External Affairs wants Indians abroad to believe. Public diplomacy—from Twitter to rescue missions—are the “guiding priority’’ of the government—one that it has listed proudly in its mid-term report. And in keeping with this philosophy, the government has been trying to do its best to rescue Tom Uzhunnali, a catholic priest abducted from an old age home in Yemen.

“It is not easy to find a solution in the fog of such a complicated war,’’ said Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar at a press conference on the mid-term evaluation of the goals of the MEA. “We have done everything.”

The minister also said Tom Uzhunnali had been specifically asked—before he embarked on this trip—not to go, but decided to go ahead. The government is not giving up on the priest and had engaged other governments too in the hope of finding a way for his safe return. “A core group has been formed headed by the Secretary Economic Relations,’’ he said, adding, “The bar on this problem had been set by the minister herself.”

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj—who become a saviour for Indians in distress abroad—had earlier tweeted that no stone would be left unturned to rescue the priest.

“The security of India has gone hand in hand with the protection and safety of Indians abroad. The welfare of our citizens, whether they are in Baghdad or Brisbane, has been the guiding priority of the government over the last 31 months, and we have consciously placed it in front and centre of our foreign policy. We have let our action speak louder than our words ever could,’’ said Minister of State for External Affairs V.K Singh.

Reaching out to the world in general as well as its renewed and re-energised relationship with America are some of the positives the MEA is taking credit for.

The achievements of reaching out notwithstanding, the government took a tough stance against Pakistan. The message is clear: talks and terrorism can’t go together. “All countries of the region, barring one, have demonstrated their willingness to stand together against the menace of terrorism that could undermine their collective hopes,’’ said Singh. “The aim of the surgical strikes that we conducted was to convey to Pakistan that we will not countenance continued terrorism as the new normal in our relationship.”

“However, the government was committed to peace in the region. And that had been amply “demonstrated time and time again,” he said.

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Topics : #Sushma Swaraj

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