<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today said India's strong international friendships came to the forefront during the global COVID pandemic.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Interacting with the Indian community in Riyadh this evening, the Minister said Saudi Arabia stood by India as a trustworthy and helpful friend by providing oxygen supplies.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The Minister said, India produced its own vaccines and also drove people to be vaccinated. He emphasised that manufacturing PPE kits, masks, and medicines in 2020 to tackle the pandemic was a huge achievement for India.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Dr Jaishankar also elaborated upon the various schemes, including Har Ghar Jal, being undertaken by the Narendra Modi government to improve the lives of the people.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Driving home the point that the world sees India in a new light today, the Minister said, under the Vande Bharat's mission, over 70 million people were brought back from all over the world during the pandemic.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The Minister reached Riyadh this evening on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>