NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is engaged in discussions with many world leaders, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is also engaging with his counterparts in the backdrop of the West Asia conflict, the MEA said on Tuesday, adding that India emphasises that peace can be restored only through dialogue and diplomacy.
At an inter-ministerial briefing on the West Asia situation, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also said that India “continues to closely follow the developments in the ongoing conflict”.
Aseem R Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf), MEA, said ensuring the safety, security and well-being of the large Indian community in the region is "our utmost priority".
"Overall, the situation continues to improve in terms of the status of flights, with additional flights operating from the region. Since February 28, around 4,02,000 passengers have returned from the region to India," Mahajan said.
He added that the MEA continues to assist the travel of Indian nationals in Iran through Armenia and Azerbaijan to India.
“We are also facilitating the travel of Indian nationals from Israel via Jordan. In view of the flight restrictions from Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq, we continue to facilitate travel of Indian nationals via Saudi Arabia," Mahajan said.
Jaiswal also underlined that India continues to closely monitor the developments in the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The prime minister is engaged in discussions with many world leaders. The external affairs minister is also engaging with his counterparts in the Gulf region, Iran, Israel and countries in Europe, Jaiswal said.
“In these engagements, India’s stance is that peace can be restored only through dialogue and diplomacy… We are emphasising this," the MEA spokesperson said.
Jaishankar on Monday spoke with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
“The two leaders discussed the situation in West Asia and its impact on the international economy, with particular focus on energy security concerns,” Jaiswal told reporters.
The external affairs minister also spoke with his Sri Lankan counterpart Vijitha Herath and discussed the repercussions of the conflict.
Jaishankar reaffirmed India's commitment to ‘neighbourhood first’ and the MAHASAGAR vision, Jaiswal said.
Separately, Jaishankar met the ambassadors of the member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Delhi on Monday.
“He (Jaishankar) exchanged views on the ongoing conflict and thanked each one of them for their continued support to the Indian community in the region. As you know, there is a large Indian community in all these countries,” Jaiswal said.
Mahajan said the MEA's dedicated control room remains operational to assist and support Indian nationals and their families.
“We have a robust mechanism in place to share information and coordinate efforts with the state governments and the Union territories. Our missions and posts in the region have been working around the clock, maintaining 24x7 helplines, and regular touch with the large number of Indian community associations and organisations spread across the region," he said.
They also remain in constant touch with the respective local governments, Mahajan said, adding that updated advisories are being issued regularly to keep Indian citizens informed about the latest developments.
Indian missions continue to proactively assist and support seafarers, students, stranded Indian nationals and short-term visitors for visa facilitation, consular services and logistical assistance where required, he said.
Airlines continue to operate limited non-scheduled flights between India and the UAE, based on operational and safety considerations. Later on Tuesday, around 85 flights are expected to operate from airports in the UAE to India, Mahajan said.
Also, flights continue to operate from Oman and Saudi Arabia to India.
With the Qatar airspace partially open, Qatar Airways is expected to operate around nine non-scheduled commercial flights to India on Tuesday, Mahajan said.
Kuwait and Bahrain airspaces remain closed.
Jazeera Airways of Kuwait is operating flights to various destinations in India from the Al Qaisumah Airport in Saudi Arabia.
"Gulf Air of Bahrain also continues to operate special non-scheduled commercial flights from the Dammam International Airport in Saudi Arabia to India, facilitating the travel of Indian nationals from Kuwait and Bahrain," Mahajan said.