S Jaishankar also spoke about India's position on the Ukraine war.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today shared a laugh with youngsters at National Institute of Technology in New Delhi over a question on which was better -- his earlier life as a bureaucrat, or the current one as a minister.
"Sab ko jawani achhi lagti hai (Everyone likes youthfulness)," he quipped, as the audience erupted in laughter.
"I will take your question seriously," he immediately followed up, while the man who asked the question told him he would set his goals according to the answer as he "follows" him.
Mr Jaishankar discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'talent to technology' with youth there, he said in a tweet. He also spoke about India's position on the Ukraine war.
India's trade with Russia has seen a boost in the aftermath of the Ukraine conflict, he said, stressing that the interest of Indian people must be prioritised in the country's diplomatic engagements.
Explaining the big change in Russia's trade relations with the West, the External Affairs Minister said, "Russia's main economic partner was the Western countries. After the Ukraine conflict, that way was closed. Russia is now turning more and more towards Asia. Our trade before the Ukraine conflict was about 12-14 billion dollars, our trade last year was 40 billion dollars."
"So, you will see the Asian economies become partners. I think we should not worry too much about what they are doing with other countries. We should keep our own relationship with Russia going and see how the interest of the Indian people is best served," Mr Jaishankar said in a video shared by news agency ANI.