External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar has stated that India has stood with Jamaica in times of celebration, in times of sport, as well as in moments of difficulty, adding that both the countries are always on the same side of the global pitch.
In his remarks at unveiling of Friendship Logo and Gifting of Scoreboard Plaque at Sabina Park Stadium, Jamaica, Jaishankar said, “When hurricanes struck, when COVID brought the world to its knees, India has been among those who responded quickly with humanitarian relief, with medicines, with vaccines because at the end of the day that is what friends are for, regardless miles between them.”
The External Affairs Minister said as nations cooperate and compete on the global stage, “we India and Jamaica always will seek our special connections that will define our ties and Cricket is very much one of them.”
In that world, Jamaica commands enormous respect, because it has produced greats like George Headley, Michel Holding, Courtney Walsh and ofcourse which Indian doesn’t know Chris Gayle or Andre Russell, Jaishankar stated.
“In the stadiums of IPL I want to assure you, Jamaican Cricketers are cheered by Indian crowds as if they are our own,” he said.
The External Affairs Minister remarked that sports brings nations together by creating shared experiences and fostering mutual respect.
And cricket, in particular, has a special meaning for India and Jamaica, as indeed for all cricketing nations, he mentioned.
Jaishankar said it is a sport which is played and loved in a very large number of countries, and followed passionately and that’s an understatement by over a billion people in India.
“That scale, that intensity naturally builds bonds between societies and strengthens the feelings for each other and certainly that is the case between us,” he said.
“We are two nations on the same side of history, on the same side of development and always on the same side of the global pitch,” the External Affairs Minister stated.