Today the world is divided into North-South and East-West and it is India's responsibility to bring the divided wold together, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.

He noted that India's G20 presidency is "very important" at a time when the world is struggling with challenges like good health, good education, good nutrition, good water, good energy as well as environmental changes.

"The world is divided into developed countries in the North and developing countries in the South, and due to the Ukraine war, countries are being polarised into East and West. We are in the middle of all this, so it is our responsibility to bring the divided world together," Jaishankar said while addressing the students at Hindu College here.

"The Ukraine war has also created many problems for the world. This has affected fuel prices, availability and prices of food grains and availability and prices of fertilisers, thereby impacting the global economy. The world is struggling with challenges like good health, good education, good nutrition, good water, good energy and environmental change. India's presidency of G20 is very important in this period," he added.

The minister noted that Indians are respected in the world because of the country's governance, economy, technology and independent foreign policy.

"India has recovered very quickly from the Covid pandemic in many ways, whereas many countries were not able to recover properly...one day in future when you will look back, you will find that the year 2023 was very important for India in which the G20 presidency established us in a special place in front of the world," he said.

Jaishankar asserted that the next 25 years of 'Amrit Kaal' are very important for India in which "we have to become a developed nation".

"Youth will play an important role in this. In today's time, the youth of the country have to understand that their work, dreams, aspirations, achievements are no longer confined to the borders of India," he said.

He exhorted the students to embrace the changes and revolutions taking place around them with enthusiasm as this reflects the "New India".

Jaishankar said that this needs to be continued in the coming 25 years to make India a developed nation by 2047.

Asked about India's permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council, the minister said that when the UN was established, only 50 countries were its members, but today around 200 countries are members of the world body.

"India is the largest country in the world by population and the fifth largest economy in the world. That is why India cannot be ignored," he said.

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