New Delhi, August 19, 2024: The Officer Trainees of the 2023 batch of Indian Foreign Service (IFS) called on the President of India, Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.

Addressing the officers, the President said that foreign policy is not an abstract exercise or elitist pursuit. It is an extension of domestic policies, aimed at securing a country’s political, economic and security interests, and territorial integrity. Hence, it is responsibility of Indian Foreign Service officers to not only secure our interests, but also to shape the global agenda, with the overarching strategic objective of achieving ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

According to a release by PIB, the President said that IFS officers should remember, that they don’t just represent the Government of India. They represent 1.4 billion Indians, and their hopes and aspirations. They represent India’s diverse and pluralistic culture, the richness of our 5000-year-old civilization, and they represent a society, that in its essence, is a force for good and for stability in an un-predictable world. This places great responsibility upon each one of them.

The President said that a good diplomat requires a unique set of skills - they must be an effective communicator and a strategic thinker. At the same time, they must have deep political and cultural understanding of both their host country, as well as of India. Noting that officers will be going for the first postings abroad, for foreign language training, the President advised them to learn as many languages as they can, and be open to embracing new cultures, people, and technology. She said that these skills and sensibilities will make them an effective and well-rounded diplomat. /BI/