S Jaishankar Unveiled Bust Of Mahatma Gandhi In Paraguay

Visit aimed at exploring new areas of cooperation in post-pandemic era

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Paraguay unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi. He also visited the historic Casa de la Independencia from where the South American country's Independence movement started more than two centuries ago.

According to the officials, the External Affairs Minister arrived in Brazil on the first leg of his six-day visit to South America aimed at boosting overall bilateral ties with the region. Jaishankar, who is on his first-ever official visit to South America, is also visiting Paraguay and Argentina.

Expressing his honour and gratitude towards the country, Mr Jaishankar tweeted, "Honoured to unveil a bust of Mahatma Gandhi Ji in Asuncion, Paraguay. Appreciate the Asuncion Municipality's decision to locate it at the prominent waterfront of the city. This is a statement of solidarity that was so strongly expressed during the Covid pandemic."

Moreover, he added, "Visited the historic Casa de la Independencia, from where Paraguay's Independence movement started more than two centuries ago. A fitting testament to our common struggle and our growing relationship."

On Friday, the minister met envoys of Latin America and the Caribbean countries in New Delhi, with a focus on boosting overall bilateral ties. The meeting came ahead of his visit to South America.

In a tweet, he said, "Pleasure to host Ambassadors in New Delhi from the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean countries- Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname and Uruguay."

The visit of the External Affairs Minister is aimed at exploring new areas of cooperation in the post-pandemic era, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.