New Delhi, Nov 2 : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for leading from the front in transforming relationships with several key partner countries over the past 10 years. The EAM, while speaking at the release of the book 'Friends: India's closest strategic partners' authored by Sreeram Chaulia in New Delhi, highlighted three transformations.

"The US, Japan and Australia have benefitted from Quad. They are actually examples of overcoming the hesitations of history. UAE and Israel are from a region that is being engaged comprehensively, at last. Russia and France are statements of multipolarity, ours as much as theirs," he said.

"If all these ties have changed so much in the last decade, much of the credit should go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his personal interest and leadership. Remember, at least three of them had not even seen a high-level visit for three decades," remarked EAM Jaishankar.

While in some cases, he said, limited interaction took place, in others there were "longstanding ideological doubts" to overcome.

The EAM admitted that cultivating friendships for a large power like India is never easy.

"There is the emotional factor that comes with shared experiences that can be seen most visibly in respect with the Global South as we have a historical commonality. However, smaller partners need both constant reassurance and non-reciprocal handling. We see that as well in our Neighbourhood First policy.

Jaishankar acknowledged that India's presence in world order today also attracts competition that will only grow as the country moves towards becoming a leading power with even friendships not being exclusive in the multipolar world.

"Even friendships will not be without some hedging. Relating to other major powers is also a challenge in itself. The more global they are, the broader are their range of activities and interests... Sometimes friends have other friends, who may not necessarily be ours. They may reflect the dilemmas of the old order and the new. It is therefore essential that we never confuse convergence for congruence," said the EAM.

/IANS