Countries across the Indian Ocean should coordinate policies and work jointly to ensure security and stability, especially amid a churn in geopolitics from West Asia to the Indo-Pacific, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said. India has a crucial role in these processes, including stabilising economies facing stress, acting as a first responder in emergencies and helping forge connectivity across the region, Jaishankar said in his keynote address at the Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat.
The conference, which has the backing of the foreign ministries of India and Oman, has been organised as geopolitical realignments are taking place due to the policies of the Donald Trump administration in the US and tensions created by the Israel-Hamas conflict. The event is being attended by the foreign ministers of Iran, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Maldives, and representatives from China and the UK.
Listing challenges facing countries in the Indian Ocean region, he said they are grappling with resource constraints or struggling to meet their targets for sustainable development goals (SDGs). Without directly naming China, Jaishankar referred to issues created by Beijing’s policies such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its aggressive stance in the South China Sea.
Jaishankar listed the ways India is forging partnerships with Indian Ocean neighbours and stepping up in times of trouble. Besides stabilising economies under stress such as during the Covid-19 pandemic and helping Sri Lanka during its economic crisis, India is spearheading connectivity initiatives such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
India has emerged as a first responder in the Indian Ocean, be it the conflict in Yemen or natural disasters in Mozambique and Sri Lanka, while simultaneously encouraging plurilateral cooperation through bodies such as the Quad. The Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre and partnerships on white shipping are helping counter traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime domain.
India has deployed its warships to counter extreme situations in the northern Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, and is training and equipping navies and coast guard forces in countries such as Vietnam, Mauritius and Mozambique.
Both as a government and as a vendor, India is contributing to efforts to build trusted communications in a digital era. India is also well placed to harmonise the activities of resident and non-resident powers in the Indo-Pacific since it has the confidence of the Global South and ability to engage major powers, Jaishankar said.
