News Desk 7

India joins UK led talks on reopening Strait of Hormuz, stresses de escalation, maritime freedom and energy security after losing sailors, says outreach helped 6 ships cross safely

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri | PTI Image

The foreign secretary on Thursday joined UK-led talks on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

At the virtual gathering, which was attended by more than 60 countries, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who represented India, noted that it was the only country to have lost citizens in the conflict-hit Strait of Hormuz.

At the multilateral meeting convened by the UK, New Delhi’s stance on the West Asian conflict was emphasised, along with the importance of principles of freedom of maritime navigation.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Misri “underlined that the way out of the crisis consisted of de-escalation and a return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue among all concerned parties.”

Misri further “emphasised the impact of the crisis on India’s energy security and the fact that India remains the only country to have lost mariners in attacks on merchant shipping in the Gulf,” the ministry said in a statement cited by the news agency ANI.

So far, at least three Indian sailors, all of whom served on foreign-flagged merchant vessels, have been killed in attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, said India’s Directorate General of Shipping.

India Joins UK-Led Talks With Other Countries On West Asia Conflict

The meeting was not attended by the United States, which has remained critical of the UK not helping Washington in attacking Iran. This meeting came as countries stepped up coordination to ensure stability in one of the world’s most vital energy corridors. India, too, is engaging with regional players in the Middle East, including Iran, to keep shipping lanes open, according to the MEA.

“We are in touch with Iran and other countries there to see how best we can get unimpeded transit and safe transit for our ships,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a press briefing.

He had said that the outreach was already yielding results. “Through this conversation that we have had over the last several days, we have had six Indian ships which have been able to safely cross the Strait of Hormuz, and we continue to be in touch with relevant parties,” Jaiswal stated, reported ANI.

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