“India is constructing major east-west corridors,” stated Jaishankar at the Raisina Roundtable in Tokyo

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 7th March. Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar emphasized that India is developing important east-west corridors that, when finished, will connect Asia’s Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Speaking on Thursday at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF)-hosted Raisina Roundtable in Tokyo, Jaishankar outlined the main areas of focus for India right now. India is currently developing important east-west corridors. These include the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) initiative, which will connect the Atlantic to the Pacific through Asia when completed. They also include the international north-south transport corridor and the trilateral highway in southeast Asia, as well as the Chennai Vladivostok route, which also has polar implications.

Jaishankar went on to say that Japan and India share similar opinions about the necessity of cooperative connectivity.

He stated, “Two countries—Japan and India—have convergent perspectives regarding the necessity of transparent and cooperative connectivity.”

Jaishankar emphasized in his speech the importance of bolstering our defense capabilities.

“India is aware of its responsibility as the voice of the global south. Our development efforts currently encompass 78 countries on several continents. Can Japan and India collaborate on their developmental systems?

“Maritime security and safety have emerged as especially urgent issues,” he stated.

“We can see that at the Red Sea, we have just had the first casualties there in shipping,” he said, shedding light on the ongoing tensions in the area. Enhancing our defense capabilities is imperative for the betterment of the broader region.”

US officials say that a cargo ship off the coast of southern Yemen was struck by a Houthi missile on Wednesday, killing three crew members.

Around 50 nautical miles (93 km) off the coast of Yemen’s port of Aden, the Greek-owned ship True Confidence, flying the Barbados flag, caught fire on Wednesday. The attack was attributed to the Houthis.

Since November, the Houthis have been attacking military and commercial ships in the Red Sea, cutting off international trade routes.

As a show of support for the Palestinians in Gaza, the Houthis first declared that they would target ships with ties to Israel. Later, however, they expanded their targets to include ships with ties to the US and the UK. Right now, Jaishankar is in Japan from March 6–8. He had previously traveled to South Korea, where he had meetings with the country’s top leaders.

He is in Japan for the 16th Strategic Dialogue between the Foreign Ministers of Japan and India, with Yoko Kamikawa, the Japanese counterpart.

According to MEA, the two ministers will talk about matters of bilateral, regional, and international significance as well as share ideas on how to work together for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.