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Middle East holds immense significance for India: Jaishankar at Raisina Dialogue

At the inaugural Raisina Dialogue Middle East, Jaishankar said India has stakes in the region that are continually rising, apart from contributions to make that would influence the direction of events

Middle East holds immense significance for India: Jaishankar at Raisina Dialogue
[Source photo: Chetan Jha/Press Insider]

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday said the Middle East is a region of “immense significance” for India, while noting that both are inextricably linked through commerce and connectivity, ideas and beliefs, traditions and customs over centuries.

Jaishankar was delivering the keynote address of the inaugural Middle East edition of the Raisina Dialogue in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Stressing on the importance of the region, Jaishankar said “by every yardstick,” this is a region “crucial to India’s strategic interests.”

India’s trade with the region is about $160-180 billion annually, with “the energy dimension being the most visible.”

Whether it is projects, technology, education, health, or services, our presence in the Gulf is both pervasive and crucial. More than 9 million Indians live and work here. But the Gulf is a gateway to MENA and to the Mediterranean. Our annual trade with the Mediterranean incidentally is another $80 billion. And the diaspora there is close to half a million,” Jaishankar said.

“Material factors aside, this larger geography is a very critical connect between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. And as our history underlines, there is a symbiotic relationship between us. We certainly have stakes that are continually rising; but increasingly, India also has contributions to make that would influence the direction of events,” he added.

Speaking on the changing global order, Jaishankar identified key trends shaping international relations including: “the sharp departure of the US from a century of Wilsonian foreign policy; the competitive aspects of ties between the US and China; the anxiety of over-concentration of manufacturing in a limited geography and the resulting search for more reliable and resilient supply chains.”

Wilsonian foreign policy, championed by former US president Woodrow Wilson in the early 1900s, traditionally emphasizes promoting democracy, collective security, and an international system shaped by liberal values. Over roughly the last hundred years, the US has often positioned itself as a global leader advocating those ideals.

In the changed scenario, Jaishankar said nations need to pursue “plurilateral” cooperation—coordinating in flexible groups on strategic, economic, and security issues.

The minister said no field better illustrates the need for collaborative solutions than connectivity. He pointed to initiatives such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) as transformative projects that can bring greater prosperity and resilience to all stakeholders.

Pointing to sectors such as manufacturing, renewable energy, semiconductors, education, and skills development, Jaishankar called on Middle Eastern nations to explore emerging and critical technologies alongside India.

He noted that India’s evolving capabilities and the region’s dynamic economies can jointly accelerate growth in Africa, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

Concluding his address, Jaishankar emphasized the importance of sustained dialogue and exchange between Indian and Middle Eastern thinkers, policymakers, and strategists, while expressing confidence that Raisina Middle East will serve as a catalyst for deeper engagement, calling it “the first step” in expanding mutual understanding and shaping a shared future.

The inaugural Raisina Middle East session was organized by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in collaboration with UAE partners, with the aim of broadening the conversation on strategic affairs, economic cooperation, and cultural ties between India and the region.

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