“World Stood By Our Side”: S Jaishankar On Odisha Train Tragedy

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday the condolence messages and the outpouring of suppot that he received in the wake of the horrific train accident in Odisha shows how connected the world is with India.

“A lot of leaders from all over the world and the foreign minister from here [Namibia] also has expressed solidarity and sent sympathy,” EAM Jaishankar said while addressing the Indian expatriates in Namibia on Sunday.

“I received many messages and foreign ministers and friends from across the world. The Prime Minister also received lots of messages. This is an example of how globalised today’s world is and how the world is connected with India,” he said further.

“A tragedy happened in India and the world decided to stand with India,” the EAM added.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday reached the Namibian Capital Windhoek to further strengthen relations with Namibia.

The Balasore derailment incident, involving two passenger trains and a goods train, claimed 275 lives and left over 1,000 injured.

The three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and a goods trains on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district.

Expressing grief over the accident, S Jaishankar said, “I am physically here but the heart is in india. Our prayers today are for it.”

During the visit to Namibia, the EAM will call on the country’s top leadership.

He was received by the deputy minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia, Jenelly Matundu.

“Arrived in Windhoek. Thank Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia, Jenelly Matundu for receiving me so warmly. Look forward to a productive visit that takes our time-tested ties forward,” S Jaishankar tweeted earlier.

He will also meet other ministers in the Namibian government while also co-chairing the inaugural session of the Joint Commission Meeting with the Namibian deputy PM and Foreign minister.

Before arriving in the Namibian capital on Sunday, the External Affairs Minister was in Cape Town, South Africa to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

In Cape Town, S Jaishankar invoked the three-decade-old ties between India and South Africa stating that there is a very “deeply emotional” connection between the two countries. He said India’s and South Africa’s respective struggles were “deeply intertwined”.

S Jaishankar made these remarks while interacting with the Indian expatriates in Cape Town.

S Jaishankar also recalled that when South Africa got its independence, there was as much celebration in India as there was in there.

The EAM also said that India had invited South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 2019.

“We have really India and South Africa located at two different continents, but working together very closely in the United Nations, in the BRICS of which we are members in a body called IPSA, which is India, Brazil and South Africa, and in a variety of ways between the two of us directly now,” he added.

The relations between India and South Africa in these three decades have “flowered in every conceivable sense”, Jaishankar noted.