New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the Viksit Bharat Ambassador Artists’ Seminar on Sunday and appreciated the event for showcasing people’s aspirations for ‘Viksit Bharat’.

The event was organized by the National Gallery of Modern Art in collaboration with Lalit Kala Akademi at Purana Qila.

“Stopped by the #ViksitBharatAmbassador artist studio in Purana Qila today. Kudos to @ngma_delhiand @LalitKalaLKA for their organizational work. Great to see various expressions of Viksit Bharat through the medium of art. #ModiKiGuarantee is the fundamental message that the country identifies with today,” Jaishankar Sir posted on X.

Stopped at #ViksitBharatAmbassador Artist workshop held today at Purana Qila.commend @ngma_delhi and @LalitkaraLKA for organization.

It is great to see various expressions of Viksit Bharat through the medium of art. #modikiguaranteed The underlying message is… pic.twitter.com/yTH48shujV

–PhD. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) March 10, 2024

Jaishankar told reporters: “Everyone should have the opportunity to experience India’s diversity. Our goal during the G20 summit is that international activities should not be limited to the national capital but should take place across the country. When we talk about Viksit Bharat, which means India’s growing influence in the world, so it is very important for everyone to know about Bharat.”

“This is a great initiative. I see the aspirations of people here. I also see the strong impact of Chandrayaan. Modi and Chandrayaan have always been in people’s hearts,” he added.

He further elaborated on various aspects of ‘Viksit Bharat’.

“‘Vikshit Bharat’ has many facets. We consider ourselves a civilized nation. We aspire to be a leading nation and become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. We are the most populous nation. Economically, we rank Fifth, but soon to be third,” he said.

Jaishankar also welcomed the signing of the free trade agreement and said it reflected a new way to further promote international economic cooperation.

The European Free Trade Association is a trade organization and free trade area composed of four European countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

“This is a great day for India’s partnership with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Congratulations to my colleague CIM @PiyushGoyal on this achievement. India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement signed today (TEPA) is a bold achievement. It reflects a new way to further promote international economic cooperation,” he said.

He also held meetings with his counterparts from Liechtenstein and Iceland on the sidelines of the India-European Free Trade Association meeting on Sunday.

“It was great to reconnect with Liechtenstein FM @DominiqueHasler at today’s India-EFTA meeting. Value our regular interactions,” he said.

“Had a good meeting with Iceland FM @Bjarni_Ben on the sidelines of the India-EFTA meeting. New areas of cooperation, investment and trade were discussed,” EAM said in a subsequent post.

As part of the agreement, the EFTA committed to promoting investment, increasing India’s foreign direct investment stock by $100 billion over the next 15 years and creating 1 million direct jobs in India through such investments.

Notably, India has been working on signing a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with European Free Trade Association countries including Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein for many years.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)