New Delhi: In a major revelation, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday said India was among the countries trying to make an effort to see if Iran and Israel “can talk to each other directly” so that the Middle East conflict can be prevented from spreading further. India has excellent relations with both Israel and Iran.
In an interaction with the Indian community in the Australian city of Brisbane, the minister said: “In the Middle East, the effort is more to prevent the conflict from spreading. One of the gaps is the inability of Iran and Israel to talk to each other directly. So, different countries are trying to see if they can bridge that gap. We happen to be one of them.”
This comes after New Delhi has been making efforts to help in resolving the other major global conflict raging between Russia and Ukraine. Again, India has excellent ties with both nations.
It may be noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken on the phone to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu a few weeks ago and had also met Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian in the Russian city of Kazan recently on the sidelines of the Brics summit. The Iranian President had then exhorted India to play a role in peace efforts in West Asia as it has good ties with both the warring sides. Israel is a strong and reliable defence partner for India while India has long-standing civilisational ties with Iran and is also banking on the sea-land connectivity to Central Asia and Afghanistan that the Iranian port of Chabahar offers.
Just a few days ago after Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on Iran, India had expressed concern and called for restraint, without naming any nation. New Delhi had then said: “We are deeply concerned by the evolving escalation in West Asia and its ramifications for peace and stability in the region and beyond. We reiterate our call to all concerned to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. The ongoing hostilities are to nobody’s benefit, even as innocent hostages and civilian populations continue to suffer. Our missions in the region are in contact with the Indian community."
