External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar has emphasised that the dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate the tensions in West Asia. Making a statement in the Lower House on the situation in West Asia, Dr Jaishankar said the Indian government had issued a statement on the 20th of last month regarding the situation, expressing deep concerns and had urged all sides to exercise restraint. He said India continues to believe that dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate the tensions.

 

The Minister said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is continuously monitoring the emerging developments, and relevant ministries are coordinating to ensure effective responses. Dr Jaishankar said the conflict has continued to intensify, and the security situation in the West Asia region has deteriorated significantly. He said the conflict has spread to other countries, with mounting destruction and normal life and activities are affected.

 

The External Affairs Minister said that this ongoing conflict is of particular concern to India as it is a neighbouring region. He said, there are one crore Indians who live and work in the Gulf nations and few thousand Indians are in Iran for study or employment. Dr Jaishankar said the region is key to India’s energy security and includes many important suppliers of oil and gas.

 

The Minister said, MEA has set up a dedicated special control room to monitor the situation and respond to queries. He said, as of yesterday, almost 67 thousand Indian nationals have returned to the country. He made the statement amidst opposition uproar as they were demanding a discussion on this issue.  Dr Jaishankar made a similar statement in the Rajya Sabha also.