External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Tuesday expressed confidence that India will be able to work with whoever becomes the next president of the United States.

“Generally, we don’t comment on other people’s elections because we also hope others don’t comment on us. But the American system will throw up its verdict. And, I’m not saying this just as a formality, but if you look over the last 20-odd years, maybe a little bit more for us, we have every confidence that we will be able to work with the president of the United States, whoever he or she will be,” he said while speaking at the launch of the ‘Indiaspora BCG Impact Report’ here.

He noted that the world today is going through a difficult period and pointed towards the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel.

“I’m an optimistic person and generally tend to think of solutions to problems rather than the problems that come out of solutions. But I would say with a great deal of sobriety, that we are going through an exceptionally difficult period,” he said.

He added that it would be a very grim forecast for the next five years. ”You have what you see happening in the Middle East, what you see happening in Ukraine, what you see happening in Southeast Asia, East Asia, the continued impact of the COVID which those of us who have come out of it take for granted, but many have not come out of it,” Dr Jaishankar said.

Further noting the economic challenges worldwide, the EAM said many countries are struggling today.

“The kind of economic challenges that you see in the world, you see more and more countries struggling. You know, their trade is getting difficult, facing foreign exchange shortages, so, you know, disruptions of various kinds,” he said.

The minister observed that the Indian diaspora can help create synergy for digital collaborations for the world economies while helping the country create the necessary skilled pool for emerging technologies.

He said the diaspora can create a level of comfort and trust in critical areas, which has the potential to take world relationships to the next level.

”When it comes to skilling, diaspora can make a valuable contribution by creating a bond, a digital connection in various areas like AI. It will help create a skilled pool as envisioned in the Union Budget 2024-2025 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.