World is looking at India with 'renewed respect, enthusiasm': Swaraj

Asserting that the world is looking at India with respect and enthusiasm, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said New Delhi is looking to proactively engage all corners of the world with added vigour.

"The world is looking at India with renewed respect and enthusiasm, and India is looking to proactively engage all corners of the world with added vigour. And this is where you young people, dynamos of energy, ingenuity and enterprise, come into the picture as the world becomes a truly global village, bringing diverse cultures and peoples together in a community of shared values and interests," Swaraj said while speaking at the International Youth Summit 2015 for NextGen World.

She said the idea of a global village is ingrained in our collective consciousness and is embedded in our DNA.

"We can't pretend that what happens in far-off countries like Nigeria and Syria is of no concern to us; distance does not in itself provide for security. Terror groups active in distant lands now link with others across national boundaries," she added.

Swaraj further said the trade and investment have created an intricate global web of prosperity and interdependence, and added that India has become the back office of the world.

"When America sleeps, Indian techies provide back-end support. Oil you need to drive your cars comes from countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, among other places. Indian spices tickle the palate in homes and restaurants around the world. And the sun never sets on the 25-million strong Indian diaspora," she said.

She also said India has forged a robust omnidirectional 360 degree foreign policy against the backdrop of this increasing interconnectedness of the world.

"Our foreign policy is intimately tied to addressing developmental challenges and eliminating the curse of poverty and illiteracy. That's why seeking external partnerships in the area of infrastructure building and technology transfer has been a cross-cutting theme," she added.

She underlined that India is pursuing a people-centric, interactive and youthful foreign policy which is open to new ideas, new initiatives and new inspirations, especially from the young people.

"It is with young people in mind that we at the Ministry of External Affairs have launched a major social media outreach that not only showcases what we are doing with different countries and international organisations, but also elicit ideas from you. Youthful energies need to be harnessed and leveraged in the right direction," she said.

"With national development as the lynchpin of India's foreign policy agenda, I urge you to be more proactive and drive the process of development and raising India's global profile," she added.