S Jaishankar India will never leave countrymen behind: Jaishankar assures people in Rajya Sabha
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said with the recent evacuations carried out in conflict-hit Sudan and Ukraine it has been proved that the country will never leave its people behind during a crisis.
While speaking about the latest developments in India’s Foreign Policy in Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar spoke about Operation Kaveri which was launched to evacuate Indian nationals from Sudan, reports ANI.
He referred to the clash in Sudan and said 4075 Indian nationals were safely evacuated from the country after armed clashes broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
He was giving a suo moto statement in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday on India’s foreign policy in the past few months and was quoted as saying by AN, “On 15 April 2023, an armed conflict broke out between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In order to protect and evacuate the Indian citizens from Sudan, Operation Kaveri was launched on 24 April, 2023. Indian nationals were brought to Port Sudan from different conflict zones and then ferried to Jeddah, using Indian Air Force aircraft and Indian Naval ships.”
“During Operation Kaveri, like Operation Ganga, we not only evacuated thousands of Indians, but also assisted in the evacuation of citizens from other countries who sought our assistance,” he said.
He said India's diplomats and armed forces displayed exemplary courage while carrying out the operation.
“Through this massive evacuation exercise, we have proven once again that India will never leave its people behind during a crisis- be it in Ukraine last year, or in Sudan in this one,” he added.
India carried out Operation Ganga to rescue people who were stranded in Ukraine when a conflict between Moscow and Kyiv started.
