India welcomes truce between US and Iran, calls for dialogue and diplomacy

India backs ceasefire and calls for de-escalation as Jaishankar plans UAE visit to discuss energy supplies, trade and regional developments

India on Wednesday welcomed a two-week ceasefire between the United States (US) and Iran, and hoped that the development in West Asia “will also encourage peace efforts in Ukraine”.

 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also announced that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on April 11 and 12. He will also travel to Mauritius on April 9 and 10 to participate in the 9th Indian Ocean Conference, as scheduled. The UAE leg was added in the context of the US-Iran ceasefire, people familiar with the development said.

 

In its statement welcoming the ceasefire, New Delhi reiterated its call for “de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy”. It also stressed the need for unimpeded freedom of navigation and the smooth global flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz. The MEA said the conflict has already caused immense human suffering and disrupted global energy supplies and trade networks. The conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, to which the MEA’s statement referred to, have caused uncertainty for India’s trade and energy supplies.

 

 

New Delhi’s challenge now is to keep its relations with Iran, the Gulf countries, Israel, and the US at an even keel. India, however, rejected reports that it was paying tolls to Tehran for ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, pointing out that the strait is international waters. Officials said they were hopeful that India-flagged vessels will resume smooth passage through the channel in the coming days.

 

Jaishankar’s visit to the UAE will provide an opportunity to understand the Emirati leadership’s perspective on the West Asian situation, discuss energy supplies, restart India’s exports to the Gulf country, and thank the leadership for ensuring the welfare of the 3.5 million Indians living and working there, sources said.

 

During the visit, Jaishankar is scheduled to meet his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and other senior leaders. India and the UAE share a strategic partnership that has strengthened over the past decade. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India in January.

 

India is also watching the bitterness in UAE-Pakistan relations, with Abu Dhabi reportedly demanding that Islamabad repays the $3.5 billion that it owes the Gulf country in loans.

 

Regarding Pakistan’s role in mediating the ceasefire, New Delhi is also of the view that it was not in a position to mediate between Iran and the US as Islamabad, given that Iran and Pakistan share a border, has done.

 

There is some acknowledgement that the current leadership of Pakistan, especially its Field Marshal Asim Munir, has cultivated significant access in the White House, which is partly attributable to their mutual business dealings. In February, the Donald Trump administration signed an agreement with Pakistan’s government to “jointly redevelop” the Pakistan-owned Roosevelt House on Madison Avenue, reportedly worth $1 billion. The property belongs to the Pakistan government, and the redevelopment is part of its privatisation push.

 

During his visit to Mauritius, Jaishankar will meet the country’s leadership and interact with foreign and deputy foreign ministers, including those from Egypt, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, who are attending the Indian Ocean Conference.

 

Alongside Jaishankar’s UAE visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has begun a three-day visit to the US to meet senior officials, review bilateral trade and defence relations, and discuss the West Asian crisis.

 

In a post on X, India’s ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, said Misri’s visit “offers an opportunity to review with our US partners the full breadth of the India-US partnership, and to advance discussions across key pillars of our bilateral agenda, including trade, defence, technology, and exchange perspectives on regional and global developments”.

 

India-Turkey consultations

 

The 12th round of India-Turkiye Foreign Office Consultations was held on Wednesday in New Delhi and chaired by Sibi George, secretary (West) in the MEA, and Berris Ekinci, deputy minister of foreign affairs from the Turkey side. The last round of the consultations was held in June 2022 in Ankara.

 

In the runup to Operation Sindoor, India and Turkey ties plummeted because of Ankara’s support to Pakistan. During the consultations on Wednesday, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the current state of bilateral relations. The discussions focused on areas such as trade and investments, tourism, technology and innovation, energy, cooperation in educational and cultural fields, people to people ties and fight against cross border terrorism. The two sides also discussed global developments.