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Journalism of Courage
India calls for lasting peace in West Asia, underlines need for diplomacy, dialogue
Delhi’s response was measured, mindful of the challenges in the implementation of the fragile truce that the Americans and Iranians have agreed to.
The MEA was referring to its statements since February 28.
After 39 days of a war that has killed more than 3,000 people including eight Indians, India on Wednesday “welcomed” the ceasefire and expressed hope that it would lead to a “lasting peace”, hours after US and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan.
Delhi’s response was measured, mindful of the challenges in the implementation of the fragile truce that the Americans and Iranians have agreed to. Israelis have, for now, signed off, but have not yet committed to ending the operations in Lebanon where they see Hezbollah as a still surviving threat and a proxy of the Iranian regime.
“We welcome the ceasefire reached and hope that it will lead to a lasting peace in West Asia,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement on Wednesday. It did not mention Pakistan, whose role has been acknowledged by both the US and Iran.
“As we have continuously advocated earlier, de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict,” it said.
The MEA statement also addressed the key concern — the economic impact of the conflict. “The conflict has already caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks,” it said.
“We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz,” it said.
The key seaway, with its stranglehold over the global energy supply chain, has become the biggest choke point, pushing the political conflict towards an economic crisis.
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The energy supply chain disruption has led to LPG shortages and rise in prices. Only about eight Indian ships have been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz so far, after negotiations at the highest level — External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi at least six times.
The Indian government has been in touch with all stakeholders in the region. Besides Araghchi, Jaishankar has also spoken to his counterparts in the Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Oman among others. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been in touch with the leaders of Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman among others.
Later in the day, MEA’s official spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, while responding to questions at the inter-ministerial press conference, said: “India has always been in favour of peace. We welcome all steps that lead to peace and stability. We hope that this development in West Asia will also encourage peace efforts in Ukraine.”
A variation of the statement that this is “not the era of war”, this seeks to strike a chord with European partners, as the Ukraine war continues for over four years now.
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There are about one crore Indians living and working in the Gulf and West Asian region, most of them blue-collar workers and single bread-winners of their families across states — Kerala to Bihar, West Bengal to Uttar Pradesh. The safety and security of these Indian nationals, who account for 40 per cent of the total remittances from overseas, has been a priority.
At least eight Indians, including three seafarers, have been killed in drone and missile attacks since February 28; one is missing, and several are injured. More than 1,800 Indians living in Iran have been evacuated, after 20-hour road trips through Azerbaijan and Armenia, and over 7.6 lakh Indians have returned from the Gulf and West Asian region in commercial flights.
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