India’s Growth a Rising Tide for South Asia, Says Jaishankar: ‘When We Grow, Our Neighbours Grow Too’

Chennai, Jan 2: Amid evolving political developments in South Asia and concerns over relations with Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said India’s growth acts as a “lifting tide” for the entire neighbourhood, asserting that when India progresses, its neighbours benefit as well.

Speaking during an interaction at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Jaishankar underlined India’s approach towards its neighbours as one rooted in cooperation, assistance and shared prosperity. Responding to a question on unrest in Bangladesh and India’s neighbourhood policy, the minister said New Delhi’s natural instinct has always been to support and invest in friendly neighbours.

“Wherever there is a sense of good neighbourliness, India invests, India helps, and India shares,” Jaishankar said, according to ANI. He added that India’s assistance during times of crisis has reinforced regional ties and demonstrated its commitment to collective growth.

Referring to India’s support during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jaishankar recalled that most neighbouring countries received their first vaccine consignments from India. He also cited Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, during which India extended a USD 4 billion assistance package even as the island nation’s talks with the IMF progressed slowly.

“Most of our neighbours today realise that India’s growth is a lifting tide. If India grows, all our neighbours grow with us,” he said, noting that this was also the message conveyed to Bangladesh, which is heading towards elections. He expressed hope that once the situation stabilises, regional cooperation and goodwill would strengthen further.

Jaishankar also addressed concerns over targeted attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, stating that India wishes its neighbour well and hopes for peace and stability after the electoral process.

On Pakistan, the External Affairs Minister drew a sharp distinction between good and bad neighbours, asserting that terrorism sponsored by Islamabad rules out any expectation of normal neighbourly benefits.

“If a country deliberately and persistently continues with terrorism, we have the right to defend our people. How we do that is for us to decide,” he said, adding that benefits such as water-sharing arrangements cannot coexist with sustained hostility and violence.

Highlighting India’s global standing, Jaishankar said vaccine diplomacy during the pandemic had an unparalleled emotional impact worldwide. He recalled how many developing nations were denied access to vaccines by richer countries, while India chose solidarity despite having to care for its own large population.

“People across Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific still say they would not have had access to vaccines but for India’s support,” he said, adding that such actions significantly enhanced India’s credibility and goodwill globally.