"Gujarat has strong presence when it comes to business or NRIs": EAM Jaishankar

Addressing a press conference in Surat, Gujarat, on Monday, Jaishankar said, "I only want to say that for me to have interest in Gujarat, it is because the Gujaratis are spread across the world and are very globalised."

"Gujarat has a strong presence when it comes to business or NRIs, he said, adding that this is the reason that the "relationship between a foreign minister and the people of Gujarat is special."

Jaishankar took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha in August last year after being re-elected to the upper house of Parliament as a BJP member from Gujarat. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in the biennial elections held in July. This is notably his second term in Rajya Sabha.

Jaishankar was inducted into the Union Cabinet in 2019 and was elected to the Upper House of Parliament.

The External Affairs Minister also mentioned an instance he came across during a business event here in Surat (the joint event of the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and FICCI), where he was told that "the diamond industry here is a little bit tense because G7 nations and EU are going into a direction of putting some sanctions on Russian diamonds."

"I have told them that we have put forward the concerns to several European countries, in Brussels as well as we have raised the issue with the members of the G7 grouping," Jaishankar went on to say.

"We have kept the issue in front of them, that the diamond business has a lot of small businesses, many artisans work there, and it should be kept in consideration while making a decision. What, I think is the situation is not so clear as of now. So, we will try that whatever concerns we have raised are taken care about..." Jaishankar said.

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 12th package of sanctions over the import of Russian diamonds into G7 countries and restrictions on deliveries of diamonds to the European Union came into effect in January this year, according to Russian News agency TASS.

It said in its report that G7 nations announced the introduction of restrictions on imports of diamonds mined or processed in Russia which came into effect on January 1, 2024.

Starting on March 1, restrictions on Russian diamonds processed in other countries are to kick in as well, the report had said.

In a joint statement following an online meeting of G7 heads of state and government, the leaders agreed that a reliable mechanism for inspecting and certifying unprocessed diamonds will be created inside the G7 by September 1, 2024. (ANI)