India plans to boost its visibility and presence in the GCC, building on an economic and cultural partnership that has been mutually beneficial, a top minister announced yesterday.
The GCC was more than just an ‘energy partner’ for his country, said Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
He was speaking during the concluding plenary session, titled ‘Whither Regional Strategic Co-operation’, as part of the International Institute for Strategic Studies Regional Summit: Manama Dialogue 2024 which was held at The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain.
Dr Jaishankar noted that the bilateral trade between the GCC and India amounted to almost $180 million, also pointing out that 60m Indians were living in the region.
“This region has had, in history, a great ideational impact on the wider world, and even today, a lot of what happens here and around here, resonates around the world,” he added.
Dr Jaishankar noted that in addition to the political realm, the GCC and India have been expanding their collaboration in technology, energy and the economic fields.
In defence, 30 Indian Navy vessels have responded to 24 incidents, escorted 250 ships and rescued 120 crew members in the Gulf of Aden and Northern Arabian Sea region, he said, adding that India intends to increase its bilateral exercises “both in the Gulf and the wider Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region”.
He noted that a primary preoccupation today was to de-risk the global economy.
“Global connectivity is very fragile and limited, and we are now focused on finding a new hard-wiring that can underpin the global economy,” he added.
He pointed to the India-Middle East-Europe corridor, and expressed a commitment to have it connect to the upcoming India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, which would see a connection from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, across Europe, Middle East and the southern part of Asia.
“The GCC region is the immediate ‘world beyond our borders’ so whatever happens here historically, culturally, civilisationally, economically, connectivity-wise, matters a lot,” he added.
He noted that India was ready to take on more responsibilities and make greater contributions and be more visible and present in the region.
He also underscored India’s open channels of communication with both Israel and Iran, suggesting that this could put his nation in a position to broker a deal between them.
Meanwhile, during the same session, Czech Republic National Security Adviser Tomáš Pojar noted that outside nations needed to be more pragmatic and humble when brokering ceasefires and negotiating for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The session concluded with Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani calling for strategic co-operation across the region and highlighting the flexibility and focus of smaller frameworks like the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement where broader co-operation may not always be possible.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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