Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused past governments of neglecting relations with West Asian countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where millions of Indians reside.
“It’s unfortunate for the country that previous governments didn’t pay attention to strengthening relations with West Asian countries. We did two things: oil imports and export of cheap manpower. This was not a wise outlook. Our path is now moving past from a buyer-seller relation to comprehensive development,” PM Modi said in an interview released by Asianet on Saturday.
While answering a question on India’s growing ties with Middle Eastern countries, he said, “In 2015, I visited the UAE after becoming prime minister. You will be surprised to learn that in a country where nearly 25-30 lakh Indians reside — including scores of people from Kerala — not even a single prime minister visited that country in 30 years. If my country’s PM does such a thing, what sort of treatment do you expect for our Indian brethren living there?”
In the past 10 years, the Prime Minister underlined, he visited the Middle East region 13 times. Citing examples from Yemen and Sudan, Modi said better ties in West Asia helped India rescue its nationals from several crises in the Middle East. He recalled how his government managed to get 850 Indians released from a Saudi jail and also cited the rescue of the navy veterans from Qatar. The Prime Minister noted that his government has changed the perspective of foreign policy and made the Indian diaspora an integral part of it.
Earlier this month, Modi stressed the need for a strong and stable government in India amid an increasingly volatile world marked by several conflicts and wars. During the release of BJP’s election manifesto here, Modi also vowed to prioritise the safety of Indian nationals living abroad.
Delivering an address at the BJP headquarters in the national capital ahead of general elections, Modi said, “As the world reels under the clouds of uncertainty in the wake of global tensions and wars, the security of Indians living abroad — during these difficult times — is our priority.” “The need for a strong, stable, and a majority government (in India) increases manifold during such tough times,” he added.
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