CANBERRA: Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Australian PM Scott Morrison said that the Indian leader has brought a strong national-interest orientation and a pragmatic approach to India’s foreign policy, with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar also playing a key role in carrying forward the vision. Morrison reflected on the trajectory of Indian foreign policy during an interview with Italian-Indian entrepreneur and analyst Vas Shenoy as New Delhi prepares to hold the 80th Independence Day celebrations on Saturday.
The former Australian PM emphasised that India is now increasingly focused on realising its potential while being guided by its national interests.
"India continues to honour its independence and its independent settings, but not slavishly, not for its own sake. Its interests drive it into closer engagement with the United States, Australia, Japan, Korea and many other countries. But that is not done to the exclusion of its other relationships. I’ve found Prime Minister Modi quite unapologetic about the fact that he’ll pick up the phone and talk to whoever he wants to. He’ll go to whichever country he needs to in order to advance India’s national interest. That’s what every leader of every country does: advance the national interest,” said Morrison. “Prime Minister Modi has brought a very strong national-interest focus and a very practical focus to India’s foreign policy. Dr Jaishankar has been an able lieutenant in that process and incredibly industrious in following through on that leadership. Whether it is the economy, technology or space, there are enormous opportunities ahead. I think India will be a space powerhouse over the next 20 or 30 years as its space economy matures,” he added.
Morrison stressed that India’s active participation remains central to Quad's significance, describing New Delhi’s engagement as a critical factor for the success of the grouping. He also highlighted the growing emphasis on maritime security across the wider Indo-Pacific, saying there was a need for the Quad's agenda to give greater weight to the "Indo" in the Indo-Pacific. While acknowledging that a Quad leaders' meeting has yet to take place, Morrison welcomed the recent visits of the Indian and Japanese Prime Ministers to Australia. (IANS)
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