NEW DELHI: In a first of its kind event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked to almost all of India’s ambassadors serving in different parts of the world to appreciate a mammoth effort by Indian diplomats during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to see how they could leverage bilateral relationships to source equipment, technology as well as joint R&Ds to help India deal with the epidemic.In a statement, MEA spokesperson said Modi had emphasised that India had reacted early “to reduce the risk of importing the infection, and thereafter to prevent a large outbreak. This included the world’s largest quarantine and lock-down …”Indian ambassadors from 10 countries — US, UAE, China, Maldives, Afghanistan, South Korea, Germany, Nepal, Iran and Italy — intervened in the conversation to share the experiences in the countries they serve, as well as their feedback on the global situation arising out of the pandemic.Modi told them, “to stay alert and identify in their countries of accreditation best practices, innovations, scientific breakthroughs and sources to procure medical equipment, for India’s fight against COVID-19. He also advised Heads of Mission to suitably publicize the newly-established PM-CARES Fund to mobilize donations from abroad.”Except Fiji, envoys posted in every other country joined the conversation. Modi was specially appreciative of the work by the ambassadors in Iran (Gaddam Dharmendra) and Italy (Reenat Sandhu) for staying on top of really difficult situations — India has evacuated 1100 from Iran and about 500 from Italy, both under trying conditions, including places where it was very difficult to access because of the lockdowns, like in Lombardy. The Indian missions in both these countries are taking care of stranded nationals until international flights are operational again.The envoys provided feedback about lessons learnt from the experiences in their host countries — for instance, what is it that has kept Germany’s mortality rates so low, or how did South Korea leverage technology to track infected people and monitor whether people were violating quarantines, with apps etc.Vikram Misri, India’s envoy to China shared the current Chinese fear of a second wave of infections coming from overseas. China has closed itself to international travellers.India and US are working closely together in a wide variety of areas related to the COVID outbreak, including relaxing rules for visas etc. This was part of the conversation between foreign secretary Harsh Shringla and US deputy Secretary of State, Steve Biegun on Friday.Indian government has asked its auto manufacturers to take inspiration from Germany and use auto factories to build ventilators — this has been a learning rom Germany’s experience.Within the neighbourhood, India and Nepal are trying to monitor border movement despite checks. Maldives is suffering because tourism, its economic mainstay, has taken a massive hit. India has already sent a rapid response team but more assistance might be necessary in the coming months. India has already sent five months supply of medicines and food, sources said.The UAE remains open for business — the Ambasador there, Pawan Kapoor, shared that with over 30 lakh Indians, there is still no lockdown in the UAE, and even construction activity is continuing.India is particularly concerned about Afghanistan as was clear from the assessment shared by ambassador Vinay Kumar. India is worried about the spread of the coronavirus from Iran. There is concern about the health of the Indian community and the Indian diplomatic staff in some of the consulates in Afghanistan.The MEA statement said, PM “noted that extraordinary times require extraordinary solutions, which was why even in this globalized era, most of the world had quarantined itself. This was an unavoidable step taken to fight this pandemic, but it was also hugely consequential, as the closure of the globalized system has had an extensive and far-reaching impact upon the international transport system, financial markets and the global economy.”In his instructions to the envoys Modi said, they should take steps on five areas — they should prioritise their own health and safety and that of their teams and families; attend to Indian who remain stranded, “given the uncertainty of continuing international travel restrictions.” He asked them to “to stay alert and identify in their countries of accreditation best practices, innovations, scientific breakthroughs and sources to procure medical equipment”. In addition, he asked them to “focus on ensuring that commerce in essential supplies, logistics chains, remittances and so on are unaffected, through their coordination with foreign partners.”