Jaishankar thanks Israel, Russia, Bhutan, other countries for I-Day wishes

Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, in a tweet, said since independence, India has strived to be, and now become, an enduring example of democracy and development for the region and the world.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked the foreign ministers of Israel, Russia, Bhutan, the Maldives, Lithuania and Latvia on Saturday for their wishes on India’s 74th Independence Day.

India's Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar speaks during a news conference with his Finnish counterpart in Helsinki, Finland.(REUTERS)

Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, in a tweet, said since independence, India has strived to be, and now become, an enduring example of democracy and development for the region and the world.

Responding to his tweet, Jaishankar said the relationship between India and the Maldives is a shining example of “Neighbourhood First”.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Russia also greeted Jaishankar on India’s Independence Day.

Jaishankar thanked Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for his wishes and said India greatly values the exceptionally close and time-tested relationship with Russia.

Bhutanese Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji tweeted: “I take this privilege to wish every Indian a very #HappyIndependenceDay. I pray for your great country to grow from strength to strength.” Replying to Dorji, Jaishankar said, “Your warm sentiments reflect our unique relationship.” The external affairs minister also thanked his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi for his congratulatory call on Independence Day.

“Thank FM @Gabi_Ashkenazi for his congratulatory call on our Independence Day. Discussed our robust bilateral cooperation and Israel’s full normalisation of ties with UAE,” he said in a tweet.

The UAE and Israel finalised a deal with an aim to normalise their bilateral relationship, seen as a major development in moving ahead with peace initiatives in the Middle East.

Jaishankar’s counterparts in Latvia and Lithuania, Edgars Rinkevics and Linas Linkevicius respectively, also greeted him.

The external affairs minister thanked the two leaders in response.