External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that India's aspiration to become a "significant power" is not possible without its becoming a knowledge powerhouse and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) will play a vital role in this. Jaishankar in his address to students and faculty of BHU said that the country's foreign policy is now taking a multi-faceted form connecting with more global concerns.
He said that during the global spread of Coronavirus, India not only protected its population but also took up global leadership by exporting its vaccine worldwide.
"We have now started shaping global discussions and in the coming days, our foreign policy will also have the ability to solve global questions around the world. "In the 21st century, the new world can be ruled only by the power of data, technology, and ideas," he said, adding soon a meeting of development ministers of G-20 countries will be organised in Varanasi.
Jaishankar said that Kashi has been a city of civilization, knowledge, and discussion and BHU reflects the best aspirations of post-independence India. The External Affairs Minister earlier in the day visited an exhibition organised by Kashi Tamil Sangamam at the BHU amphitheater.
During his visit, he also inaugurated a basketball match between Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.