PANAMA CITY, Apr 26: India has launched ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate and safely bring back its stranded citizens from the strife-torn Sudan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Indian community in Panama.
Jaishankar arrived in Panama on Monday from Guyana. He called on President Nito Cortizo and conveyed the personal greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to him.
He met the Indian community here on Tuesday and also visited a Hindu temple in Panama.
“Began the morning in Panama City by seeking divine blessings at the Hindu temple and meeting an enthusiastic Indian community. Immensely delighted to see their love and devotion for the nation,” he tweeted.
During his interaction with the Indian community, the external affairs minister spoke about stranded Indians in Sudan and the government’s efforts to safely evacuate them.
“I am here in Panama right now. I was in Guyana for the past few days. However, my mind is in Sudan. We are conducting ‘Operation Kaveri’ there in which we want to evacuate and save Indians who are stranded in Sudan,” he said.
“We are working to bring them back or shift them to some other country and safely evacuate them,” he added.
Jaishankar on Monday announced the launch of the mission ‘Operation Kaveri’ to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan that has been witnessing fierce fighting following a power struggle between the regular army and the RSF.
‘Operation Ganga’ was the initiative launched by the government of India to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine and ‘Vandhe Bharat Mission’ was the massive repatriation operation planned by the Indian government to bring back stranded Indians in different parts of the world in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
India on Tuesday evacuated the first batch of 278 Indians from Sudan on board naval ship INS Sumedha and rushed in essential relief supplies for its remaining stranded citizens as a ceasefire appeared to be holding in the strife-torn African country.
Jaishankar said he was “surprised” when he was informed that it is for the first time in 60 years that an Indian external affairs minister was visiting Panama.
“I was surprised about whether there were lesser efforts on your side or your invitation was not enthusiastic enough…,” he said.
The diplomatic relations between India and Panama were established in 1962. Jaishankar said, in the last few years, Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs, have visited Panama.
He expressed “full confidence that more representatives from India will visit the country in future.”
Former Vice President Naidu visited Panama City in May 2018 and Lekhi visited the country in May 2022.
Jaishankar also spoke about his meeting with Panama’s President Laurentino Cortizo and Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney Mencomo.
While interacting with the community, Jaishankar said that Panama’s president said that the changes happening in India, including developments related to digital, healthcare, inclusion, and infrastructure have global relevance.
He said that he felt happy after listening to Panama’s president’s views on India and the people of India residing in Panama.
Jaishankar also spoke about the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected the world.
After his visit to Panama, Jaishankar will visit Colombia, where he would be meeting several top leaders of the country and reviewing bilateral ties with his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran.
On Monday, Jaishankar joined President of Guyana Irfaan Ali at the commissioning of an India-made ferry which would enhance connectivity and provide mobility and economic opportunities in the country’s distant hinterlands.
Jaishankar is on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, his first visit as the external affairs minister to these Latin American countries and the Caribbean. (PTI)
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