MEA Jaishankar calls for joint efforts on Indian Ocean region’s growth, security

On Sunday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar referred to the Indian Ocean region as an essential global lifeline and encouraged regional countries to help one another, leverage their strengths, and harmonize policies to promote development, enhance connectivity, and ensure maritime security.

“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,” he said.

“Our voyage to new horizons is best done as a coordinated flotilla of the Indian Ocean. We are understandably a diverse group in terms of history, geography, development, politics or culture. But what unites us is a common devotion to the well-being of the Indian Ocean region,” he said.

“In a volatile and uncertain era, we seek stability and security as the baseline. But beyond that, there are ambitions and aspirations that we strive to achieve. They will be easier reached when we look out for each other, supplement our strengths and coordinate our policies,” he added.

Jaishankar said global affairs are going through major changes, with sharp disruptions in the Middle East and West Asia due to ongoing conflict. “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,” Jaishankar said.

“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,” he said.

At the other end, the Indo-Pacific has been experiencing rising tensions and intensified rivalries, Jaishankar said.

He mentioned that, similar to other regions of the Global South, nations in the Indian Ocean also encounter limitations in resources and economic difficulties.  Numerous individuals are finding it challenging to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals, as debt poses a significant issue in many situations. The minister remarked that while certain issues arise from global economic strains, others result from reckless borrowing and unsustainable projects.