Jaishankar says India sees Middle East region as 'crucial passage to world beyond'

Abu Dhabi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday highlighted the significant expansion of India-Middle East engagement in the past decade, driven by strong trade, connectivity, and people-to-people linkages, saying India sees the Middle East as a crucial passage to the world beyond.

Addressing the inaugural session of Raisina Middle East here, Jaishankar said the Middle East region, which India calls West Asia, is crucial to India's strategic interests. The country's trade in the Gulf region amounts to about $160 to $180 billion.

"Our presence in the Gulf is both pervasive and crucial. More than 9 million Indians live and work here, but the Gulf also serves as a gateway to the MENA region and the Mediterranean," Jaishankar said.

"Our annual trade with the Mediterranean, incidentally, is another USD 80 billion, and the Indian diaspora there is close to half a million," the minister said, adding that India's projects in the region include airports, ports, railways, phosphates, green hydrogen, steel and submarine cables.

Jaishankar said the endeavours of India and the Middle East can be projected further into Africa, Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

"Perhaps there is no domain that has a stronger case for such plurilateral cooperation than that of connectivity... Maritime security and safety is another issue where understandings and mechanisms will have to step in to fill global deficits.

In conclusion, Jaishankar said the Middle East is an extended neighbourhood with which India has fully reconnected, and New Delhi needs to deepen its engagement with the region.

The minister here also met Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to UAE President, on Tuesday morning and discussed the special partnership between India and UAE and its further progress.