India to attend UK-led talks on Strait of Hormuz; prioritises maritime security: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated Indias stance on ensuring safe and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz amidst escalating tensions in West Asia MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India stands for free and open commercial shipping and maritime security in line with international lawSpeaking at a media briefing Jaiswal said that the UK has invited India to talks on the Strait of Hormuz and Indias Foreign Secretary will attend the meeting He added that India is in touch with Iran and other countries to ensure unimpeded transit and safe passage for Indian ships carrying LPG LNG and other productsJaiswal said The UK side has invited several countries which also include India for talks on the Strait of Hormuz From our side the Foreign Secretary is attending the meeting this evening We are in touch with Iran and other countries there to see how best we can get unimpeded transit and safe transit for our ships which are carrying products including LPG LNG and other products Through this conversation that we have had over the last several days we have had six Indian ships which have been able to safely cross the Strait of Hormuz and we continue to be in touch with relevant partiesRegarding the safety of Indian citizens Jaiswal said Approximately 10 million Indian citizens reside in the GCC countries All of them are safe Our embassies in all these countries remain in constant contact with them Eight Indian citizens have lost their lives in the conflict and one remains missingEight Indian citizens have been casualties in this conflict so far and one remains reported as missing Ministry of External Affairs in coordination with our Ministry of Shipping and all our Indian embassies in the region we are dedicated to safeguarding the security and interests of our citizens We are closely monitoring all developments and activities related to the Gulf region this ongoing conflict and the Strait of Hormuz he addedIndia has also facilitated the exit of 204 nationals from Iran through the land border to Azerbaijan with more expected to return in the coming days Jaiswal thanked the government of Azerbaijan for its supportHe said Several of our Indian nationals 204 to be precise have been able to leave Iran for Azerbaijan through the land border and from there they will be coming back home Several of them have returned and others will be returning in the course of the next few days We are thankful to the government of Azerbaijan for the support that they render for the exit of Indian nationals from Iran through the land borderRegarding the Bahraini resolution at the UN Security Council Jaiswal said This particular resolution is under consideration in the UN Security Council We are aware of the resolution We also know that relevant parties which means the members of the Security Council are currently negotiating this particular text As far as India is concerned we stand for free and open commercial shipping and for maritime security in keeping with international law We continue to call for ensuring safe and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as a matter of priority And also we are closely following all developments in regard to this West Asian conflict So that is how we look at the Bahraini resolutionIndia is gearing up for its BRICS presidency with several meetings lined up in the coming months the MEA spokesperson said on Thursday Responding to queries on the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting Jaiswal said Next month we are still some distance away Well keep you informed well in time as to what we have what we are planning so on and so forthOn Indias role in BRICS Jaiswal stated We are the chair We are doing several of these meetings You would have followed the recent workinglevel meetings that weve done We will be organising a series of meetings going into our presidency Well keep you updated with the Foreign Ministers level meeting as also other tracks in which well have ministerial interactionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever