Muscat [Oman], February 16 (ANI): Elaborating on the maritime consequences of the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stressed the importance of adhering to agreements in ensuring stability.
He was giving the keynote address at the Eighth Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat, Oman on Saturday.
The Foreign Minister expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Oman government, Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi, event’s organisers India Foundation, RSIS and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ram Madhav.
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Addressing the event, Jaishankar said, “We meet at a time when there is considerable churn in world affairs. At such a juncture, an open and constructive exchange of views is of particular benefit. I am confident that all of us will find great value in the discussions that we will be holding over the next two days.”
He further said that changes in the global order may be expressed through new ideas and concepts, but they are also reflected in the evolving landscape.
“The Indian Ocean region is no exception to that rule. And this matters not just to us as inhabitants of this community, but given our salience in so many dimensions, to other regions and nations as well. After all, as we heard from previous speakers, the Indian Ocean is veritably a global lifeline. Its production, consumption, contribution and connectivity are central to the manner in which the world runs today,” the EAM added.
The Foreign Minister further elaborated on the ongoing West Asia conflict, and said the maritime consequences of the tensions are visible, causing “serious disruption” to global shipping, and leading to “considerable cost to our economies.”
He also pointed out how “deeper tensions and sharper contestations” are being witnessed in the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar said from India’s own experience, “adhering to agreements and understandings” is a central element to ensuring stability and predictability.
“At the two ends of the ocean, this churn is at its sharpest today. In the Middle East/West Asia, there is a serious conflict underway with the potential for further escalation and complication. At the same time, longstanding issues are being revisited, sometimes with a radically different approach. Its maritime consequence is visible in a serious disruption of global shipping, with considerable cost to our economies. There are questions which arise from our ability and willingness to respond, as indeed from the partnerships relevant to that task,” Jaishankar said.
He added, “At the other end, the Indo-Pacific has been witnessing deeper tensions and sharper contestations. The scenario is intrinsically maritime in nature, involving respect for and observance of international law. There are other concerns, some related and some autonomous. Stronger assertion of interests is one issue; concern about unilateral changes to the status quo is another. From India’s own experience, we can say that adhering to agreements and understandings is a central element to ensuring stability and predictability.”
Pointing to the challenges faced by the littoral states or island nations of the Indian ocean, Jaishankar said that each country has its own challenges, including resource constraints, huge debts, and inability to meet SDG targets.
“The region in between is where most of us come from, being littoral states or island nations of the Indian Ocean. Each country has its individual challenge, but nevertheless, there are some general trends worth noting. Many are developmental in character but do, in some form or the other, impinge on maritime behaviour. Like other parts of the Global South, the Indian Ocean nations too face resource constraints and economic headwinds. Many of them are struggling to meet their SDG targets. In quite a few cases, debt is a serious concern. Some of that arises from stresses of the international economy, but in certain cases, from imprudent borrowing and unviable projects,” the Foreign Minister said.
The Foreign Minister further stressed the need to rebuild connectivity in the region, after decades of colonial-era disruption, while also pointing to the challenges of monitoring the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and preventing illegal trafficking.
“To make this a truly shared endeavour, it is vital to ensure that connectivity initiatives are consultative and transparent, not unilateral and opaque. Yet another widespread concern is the challenge faced by the Indian Ocean states to monitor their EEZ and secure their fishing interests. Nor can they be impervious to illegal trafficking of various kinds and the spectre of terrorism. Each of these dimensions – and certainly their cumulative impact – has a strong maritime implication. Our journey to new horizons must necessarily focus on addressing these challenges,” he further added. (ANI)
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