External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was seated in the front row at the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump at the Capitol Rotunda on Monday. Jaishankar’s seat in the front row was seen as a clear message of India aiming to have close ties with the Trump administration.
Jaishankar was seen seated alongside Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa. Two rows behind, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong sat behind at the event. Both Japan and Australia are part of QUAD, which also includes India and the US.
In a tweet, Jaishankar said it was a great honour to represent India at the oath-taking ceremony of Trump and JD Vance as the Vice President.
Jaishankar also carried a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Trump, sources said on Monday. The External Affairs Minister’s presence at the presidential inauguration is in line with India’s general practice to send special envoys to attend the swearing-in ceremony of heads of state and government, they added.
PM Modi congratulated his “dear friend” Trump on taking the oath as the 47th President of the US and said he was looking forward to working closely.
“Congratulations, my dear friend President Donald Trump, on your historic inauguration as the 47th President of the US! I look forward to working closely together once again to benefit both our countries and shape a better future for the world. Best wishes for a successful term ahead!” PM Modi, who shared camaraderie with Trump during his first term, said.
Earlier, Jaishankar met with fellow foreign ministers at the US Capitol.
He also attended the inauguration day prayer service at St John’s Church, where he was pictured having an interaction with Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
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