The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday dismissed a report claiming that India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were “working on an agreement” to facilitate the evacuation of Indian workers through Fujairah port, asserting that there was “no basis” for such claims and clarifying that there was “no plan to evacuate” Indian nationals either from Fujairah or anywhere in the UAE.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks while responding to a query about a media report published in a leading national daily during an inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi on the evolving situation in West Asia.
“You talked about a particular news item. I would also request you to look at MEA FactCheck because we've already issued a clarification on this account. There is no basis, in fact, for such a story. Also, there is no plan to evacuate Indian nationals from Fujairah or from the UAE. So, also please do look at the clarification that we've issued,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the MEA’s fact-check unit issued a clarification on its X account, categorically rejecting the report and labelling it as “fake news.”
“Fake News Alert! There is no basis in fact for such a story. There is no evacuation being planned. Please stay alert against such false and baseless claims,” MEA FactCheck said in its post.
During the briefing, Jaiswal was also asked about the upcoming meeting of foreign ministers from BRICS member nations and partner countries, which will be held in New Delhi under India’s chairmanship.
Responding to a question regarding the possible participation of Iran’s foreign minister, Jaiswal said, “Your question was about Iran's foreign minister... See, we have the BRICS foreign ministers meeting to be held in New Delhi. For this, we expect foreign ministers from member countries of BRICS, as well as partner countries of BRICS, to join us. We shall keep you updated as to who the leaders are who will be here.”
He also reiterated India’s position on the ongoing conflict in West Asia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to restoring peace and stability in the region.