PM Modi shaped the world’s perception of India: Ido Aharoni
Former Consul General of Israel in New York, Ido Aharoni said that India’s presence has become more robust in the last eight years. He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and called it “inspirational”.
Ido Aharoni said, “I think that during the last eight years Brand India had a more robust presence in the world. It’s a combination of the opportunity given by technology, especially during the three-year window of COVID-19. Because COVID-19 was a big disruption.”
He added, “And in a way, people were sitting at home and they were looking for content to consume and things that were unheard of before for example, people consuming content from other countries all of a sudden became commonplace… And I think that his (PM Modi) leadership is inspirational within India, and it has an impact on the way India is being perceived in the world.”
Aharoni also highlighted that India is one of the most powerful and popular country brands in Israel. He said, “I would put India up there with the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and so on. Israelis love India because of the welcoming spirit of the Indian people. And I think the numbers show that politically. Obviously, India has been viewed certainly since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago as one of the rising global superpowers, and accordingly, Israel is investing in its ties with India.”
“You can see that in the number of diplomatic representations that Israel has in India. In Embassy, two consulates and more are planned in the pipeline. Certainly, the intensive ties between the two military establishments, of course, the very fruitful exchange between the academic establishments in the two countries, and the interaction between scientists and the tech sector. so, I think India is in a very good position in the eyes of Israeli and Israelis love India. they think India is very important for Israel’s future,” he added.
He further said that a country’s brand is measured by the number of tourists the country is able to attract, the amount of foreign money the country is able to attract, the level of attraction like museums, and institutions, and lastly the experience. A strong country brand is a promise delivered and, in many cases, India delivered the promises in a big way.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar affirmed strengthening bilateral ties between India and Israel. Speaking on the growing India-Israel ties in an event in Gujarat, Jaishankar said that the days of vote bank politics which dominated foreign policy decisions are now gone. “The New Delhi-Tel Aviv ties are evidence of that change in foreign policy and mindset,” the EAM added.
Jaishankar added, “I will envy the person who will be the Foreign Minister in 2047, but to be the Foreign Minister of Narendra Modi government is a great strength. There are core beliefs, confidence, and attitude, and the world is recognizing it,” he said, adding, “Under Prime Minister Modi’s tenure, India’s foreign policy has undergone a transformation and is more independent than ever before.”
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Westerner’s praise – should be accepted with caution / be skeptical, for they are prone to lightning flash memory strikes !!