Iran-Israel relations or its absence is a matter of concern, why did External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar say this?

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said the relationship or lack thereof between Israel and Iran is a matter of concern and some of India’s diplomatic efforts are focused on this aspect. In his/her address at the ‘Manama Dialogue’ in Bahrain, Jaishankar, without directly mentioning the attacks on commercial ships by Houthi extremists in the Red Sea, said that India’s interest is in improving the security situation.

Jaishankar, who arrived on a two-day visit to Bahrain on Saturday, discussed a range of issues, including preventing further spread of conflicts, the importance of key connectivity projects and the need to improve the security situation in the region.

Talk on relations between Israel and Iran

‘Recently, the relationship, or lack thereof, between Israel and Iran has been of particular concern to all of us,’ he/she said. So some of our diplomatic efforts have been focused on that particular aspect. However, the Foreign Minister did not elaborate on India’s efforts.

Big global concerns due to Iran and Israel tension

In the last few months, global concerns have increased regarding the increasing tension between Iran and Israel. In October, Iran fired about 200 missiles at Israel in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and other commanders of the Lebanese extremist organization. After this Israel responded to the Iranian attacks.

Emphasis was given on the importance of economic progress of the country

On the importance of West Asia for India, the External Affairs Minister also mentioned the country’s sustainable economic growth. he/she said, ‘India today is an economy of about US$ 4000 billion, (and) we expect it to easily double in this decade. Our trade today is worth about 800 billion US dollars. This should also at least double in this decade.

Mentioned the conditions of the Red Sea

Jaishankar also mentioned the situation in the Red Sea and said security is an important area for strategic regional cooperation. ‘We face huge security challenges in the region, which have a deep and damaging impact on trade in Asia,’ he/she said. Given the unstable situation in the Red Sea, consignments of goods were sent via other routes, significantly increasing the cost of transportation.

The External Affairs Minister also talked about India’s naval presence in the region. he/she said, ‘In fact our Navy has a presence in the Gulf of Aden, Somalia, North Arabian Sea in the region. In the last one year, about 30 ships have been stationed here, once a maximum of 12 ships were stationed there. “Last year we actually responded to 24 actual incidents, rescued 250 ships, rescued 120 crew members,” he/she said. So, we are making our contribution, we are working together with Operation Prosperity Guardian.