India seeks 'ahead of the curve' approach in ties with West Asia, Gulf: MEA

With the West Asia and Gulf region, India seeks to supplement its strong traditional ties with an "ahead of the curve approach, a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs said

With the West Asia and Gulf region, India seeks to supplement its strong traditional ties with an "ahead of the curve approach, which embraces technology and national priorities in a future-oriented action plan, a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday.

In his remarks at the 13th India-Israel Forum, MEA Secretary (CPV&OIA) Sanjay Bhattacharyya said the West Asia and Gulf region has seen its fair share of conflict.

"Despite progress and development across the region, economic growth eluded many and religious radicalisation and extremism played a role in the spread of violence and terrorism," he said.

The growth of non-state actors, sometimes taking advantage of failed states and support from external agencies, complicated the scenario, he noted.

Bhattacharyya said there is a need for reforms to bring moderation in ideology, to revive tolerance and pluralism in society, and to build conditions for peace, development and stability for all.

"We welcomed the recent rapprochement between Arab states and Israel leading to the normalisation of relations. This could improve prospects for a brighter future for the region," he said.

"We have often said that direct negotiations between the parties can provide solutions for peaceful and secure co-existence between the two sides and also provide peace and prosperity to the citizens of the two states, living side by side," the MEA official said.

Talking about India-Israel collaboration, he said that with the unprecedented disruption of the COVID pandemic, India and Israel joined hands to develop rapid test kits and cooperated on vaccine research.

"The scope for high-tech collaboration has grown in defence, under Make in India, and cooperation to combat cyber crimes has become more important, as we face the threat of terrorists," Bhattacharyya said.

In an era where technology dominates, India-Israel projects can lead the way, not only bilaterally but in securing new markets globally, he said.

"With the West Asia and Gulf region, we seek to supplement our strong traditional ties with an 'ahead of the curve' approach, which embraces technology and national priorities in a future-oriented action plan that not only strengthens relations but also refashions them and makes them relevant to the changing times," Bhattacharyya said.