NEW DELHI: India has stepped up diplomatic outreach amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar holding urgent consultations with key Gulf partners and travelling to Europe for high-level talks.
Jaishankar spoke late on Saturday with Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, and Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, to discuss the rapidly evolving situation in West Asia as hostilities between Iran and the United States intensify.
“Discussed ongoing developments related to the conflict in West Asia,” Jaishankar said in a social media post on Sunday following his conversation with the Saudi minister. Referring to his call with the UAE’s top diplomat, he said the two leaders “exchanged views on various aspects of the regional situation.”
Diplomatic sources indicated that India’s energy security featured prominently in both conversations as global oil and gas markets react sharply to the crisis.
Prices have surged after Iran effectively blocked the strategic Strait of Hormuz — a narrow shipping corridor connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman — through which around 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies transit. The disruption has heightened concerns in major import-dependent economies such as India, which relies heavily on energy supplies from West Asia.
New Delhi’s diplomatic push also comes as it seeks to build consensus within the expanded BRICS grouping on the crisis. India currently holds the bloc’s chairmanship following its recent expansion that brought in new members including Iran and the UAE.
However, Iran’s retaliatory actions against several Gulf countries after the February 28 strikes by the United States and Israel have created unease among some of the new members, complicating efforts to shape a unified position within BRICS.
As chair of the grouping, India now faces the delicate task of navigating divergent member interests while pushing for a common stance on the escalating conflict.
Meanwhile, Jaishankar arrived in Brussels on Sunday for a two-day visit at the invitation of Kaja Kallas, High Representative and Vice President of the European Union. He will participate in discussions with foreign ministers of the EU’s 27 member states during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
The external affairs minister is also scheduled to meet EU leadership and his counterparts from Belgium and other member states.
The visit comes soon after the 16th India-EU Summit and is expected to further deepen India’s strategic partnership with the European Union, even as New Delhi balances diplomatic engagement across multiple fronts amid the unfolding West Asia crisis.