According to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, assaults on ships near India are a “grave concern” and have a direct impact on India’s energy and economic interests. Speaking to the world press, the minister of external affairs added that no one is benefiting from this “tense situation.”
“There has also recently been a perceptible increase in threats to the safety of maritime commercial traffic in this important part of the Indian Ocean,” Jaishankar said in a joint press statement after wide-ranging talks with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian.
In apparent allusion to the bombing of merchant vessels in the Red Sea, one of the busiest trade routes, by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen during the Israel-Hamas conflict, he emphasised the importance of “speedy resolution” of this issue.
“We have even seen some attacks in the vicinity of India. This is a matter of great concern to the international community. Obviously, it also has a direct bearing on India’s energy and economic interests. This fraught situation is not to the benefit of any party and this must be clearly recognised,” he said.
Jaishankar added that both India and Iran are worried about recent events in West Asia and emphasised the significance of averting further escalation of violence and hostilities in the area. Jaishankar is in Tehran as part of the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two sides.
Of course, there was talk on the “deeply concerning” situation in Gaza, he said.
“The loss of civilian lives, especially that of women and children was our primary focus. There is a visible humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed and the creation of sustainable humanitarian corridors is the need of the day,” the External Affairs Minister said and welcomed the international community’s efforts in that direction.
“India itself has delivered shipments of relief material to Gaza and contributed to the UNRWA,” he added.
Regarding the Palestine conflict, Jaishankar restated India’s long-standing support for a two-state solution, in which the Palestinian people are allowed to live in freedom within a sovereign nation with well-guarded borders.
“I stressed the need for all parties to avoid provocative and escalatory actions, and to facilitate movement towards dialogue and diplomacy,” he added.
His words were made on the same day that a US-owned ship was hit by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen.
A day earlier, Houthi fired an anti-ship cruise missile towards an American destroyer in the Red Sea, according to sources.
Last week, airstrikes were started by the US and the UK against Houthi strongholds in Yemen.
India has been keeping a careful eye on the events in the Red Sea.
The maritime environment in the vital water lanes, such as the North and Central Arabian water, has prompted the Indian Navy to increase the deployment of its frontline ships and surveillance planes for maritime security operations.
