India today is proud of its traditions, culture and history: S Jaishankar

Abuja: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that India today is proud of its traditions, its culture and its history as he underlined that there are very few civilisations who have survived as a modern nation and “we are one of them”.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Nigeria after attending the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Uganda, made the remarks while addressing the Indian community members here.

“We are today sending a message to the world, that this is also an India, which is proud of its traditions, of its culture, of its history,” said Jaishankar, who is here on his first visit as External Affairs Minister.

The minister said that in the world there are very few civilizations, who have survived as a modern nation and “we are one of them." He highlighted developmental activities in India, saying there is a sense today that India is being built and there is a flow of investment.

On ties with Nigeria, Jaishankar said that the two sides have business of about USD 12-15 billion and invited Nigerian investors to invest in India.

“There are many more possibilities because actually, Indian capabilities in many areas are growing very, very strongly. I would say, we've had a long record in pharmaceuticals but today India, for example, has become a big producer of medical devices, which was not the case earlier,” he said.

Jaishankar will co-chair the sixth India-Nigeria Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart and meet with other leaders.

He will also inaugurate the third edition of the Nigeria-India Business Council meeting, deliver a speech at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, interact with business delegates and inaugurate a bust of Mahatma Gandhi.

He will also chair the regional conference of Indian heads of missions.

"India and Nigeria have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations. This is the external affairs minister's first visit to Nigeria which will further consolidate bilateral relations between the two countries," the MEA said.