S Jaishankar addresses Indian diaspora, lauds India-US ties: ‘Very desirable’

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Sunday hailed the India-US relations and said both nations have reached a position where they could each other as “very desirable, optimal and comfortable partners”.

Addressing the people of Indian diaspora at the 'Colors of India' event in Washington DC, Jaishankar said, “Today, in every way, this relationship has exceeded expectations, which is why today we don't even try to define it. We actually keep raising the bar. We keep finding new domains.”

Emphasising the chemistry and comfort of the diplomatic ties between India and the US, Jaishankar said it gives him “enormous hope” about where the prospects are. "Today, India and the United States have moved to a position where we really see each other as very desirable, optimal partners, comfortable partners with whom it's a natural instinct today to pick up the phone or if you meet someone and have a natural conversation," he said.

While recalling the past prime ministers visit to the US and the hailing the evolving diplomatic relationships, Jaishankar said that earlier both the nations used to deal with each other but now they work with each other.

"People remember Rajiv Gandhi's visit to US in 1985, I was here at that time. People remember Dr Manmohan Singh's visit in 2005 when the nuclear deal happened, I was there too. People remember PM Modi's visit. But I have to say that this one was different, it was different in optics, and if you ask me what has changed, I would say India and the US earlier used to deal with each other and now they work with each other," Jaishankar said.

Referring to the successful organisation of the summit in New Delhi last month, the external affairs minister said India's G20 presidency revolved around the message of Mahatma Gandhi, who focussed on doing the right things and leaving no one behind.

“We are approaching Gandhi Jayanti. To say Mahatma Gandhi was an extraordinary man would be the understatement of this century. He said so many things so tellingly. The message at the end of the day was about doing the right thing, about doing the decent thing and about leaving no one behind. Gandhi ji's message is very complicated, but its essence is actually very, very simple. When we took up the G20 presidency, in many ways, that message was at the heart of our thinking of not to leave anyone behind.”

Jaishankar is on a visit to the US from September 22-30 during which he addressed the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. He also held meetings with several top US officials including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin during his visit.