S Jaishankar News: India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke about India’s good neighbors and bad neighbors. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that our approach towards the neighborhood is pragmatic.
Our neighbors can be bad too, said S Jaishankar during an event organized at IIT Madras, Chennai. Unfortunately ours is too. When our neighbors are bad, look at our neighbor to the west for example. If a country decides to continue terrorism deliberately, persistently and without remorse then we have the right to protect our people against terrorism. We will exercise that right.
How we exercise that right is up to us, he said. No one can tell us what we should and shouldn’t do. We will do whatever it takes to protect ourselves.
He said that many years ago we agreed on water sharing arrangements, but if terrorism continues for decades, good neighborliness will not exist. If a good neighbor does not exist there is no benefit. You may not say please share water with me, but I will continue terrorism with you. This compromise is not possible.
We have got many kinds of neighbours: Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that I was in Bangladesh two days ago. I went to represent India at the funeral of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Begum Khaleda Zia. We have got many kinds of neighbors. If a neighbor of yours treats you well or at least does not harm you, your nature is to be kind to that neighbor and help him. If a neighbor has a problem, you want to help him in some way. At least you will greet him, try to build friendships and relationships and that is what we do as a country.
VIDEO | Chennai: EAM S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar), speaking at an IIT Madras event, says, “I was in Bangladesh just two days ago to represent India at the funeral of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. But more broadly, our approach to the neighbourhood is guided by common… pic.twitter.com/8GgEmG1rOz
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 2, 2026
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that when you look at your neighboring countries, wherever there is a sense of good neighbourliness, India invests, India helps, India shares. We were talking about covid. Most of our neighbors received the first batch of vaccine from India. Some of the neighbors faced extraordinary stress, an example being Sri Lanka, and we actually helped them with a $4 billion package, at a time when their negotiations with the IMF were going very slowly.
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I wish you all the best for Bangladesh elections: Jaishankar
S Jaishankar said that most of our neighbors realize that the rise of India today is an uplifting wave. If we grow, all our neighbors will grow with us. I think I gave the same message to Bangladesh. He is now moving towards his election. We wish them all the best for the elections and hope that once the situation returns to normal. The sense of camaraderie between neighboring countries will increase in this region.