External Affairs Minister Jaishankar unveils bust of Mahatma in Paraguay

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Paraguay calling it a "statement of solidarity".

The Minister has arrived here as part of his six day visit to South America for the first time.

"Honoured to unveil a bust of Mahatma Gandhiji 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," the Minister tweeted.

Jaishankar also 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, the Minister wrote on Twitter after the visit.

The ongoing visit of Jaishankar is aimed at exploring new areas of cooperation in the post-pandemic era.

Interacting with Indian community in Sao Paulo, the Minister, said that the relationship with China is going through a very difficult phase and Beijing has disregarded the 1990s pact that prohibits amassing of troops in border areas.

He said that the actions by the Chinese clearly cast a shadow on relationship between the two countries. (UNI)