The Union Government today convened an all-party meeting on the crisis in West Asia. The meeting will be held at 5 p.m., news agencies said.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to chair the meeting and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to be present, they said.
The meeting takes place amid escalating tensions Western Asiawhich disrupted critical maritime corridors and raised concerns about the security of Indian citizens in the Gulf countries.
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Defense Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting on the evolving situation in the Middle East on Tuesday. Chief of the Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, three service chiefs, DRDO Chairman Dr Samir Kamat and others were present in the meeting.
On Sunday, PM Modi chaired the meeting Cabinet Security Committee (CCS) to review the situation and ongoing and proposed mitigating measures in relation to the ongoing West Asian conflict.
PM Modi has ordered the formation of a group of ministers and secretaries who will work diligently to resolve the resulting situation Western Asia conflict.
Prime Minister Modi’s speech in Parliament
The all-party meeting comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in Parliament on the situation in West Asia. In a statement in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi said the government has set up seven mandated groups to develop strategies on fuels, supply chains and fertilizers, among others, and stem the impact of the Iran-Israel-US conflict.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Modi said the difficult global conditions caused by the conflict in West Asia were likely to persist for a long time and urged the nation to remain prepared and united, just as it was during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Four weeks of conflict
The conflict in West Asia is in its fourth week, disrupting trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions escalated after the killing of Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneiin joint US-Israeli military strikes on February 28.
In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries, causing further disruption to the waterway and affecting international energy markets as well as global economic stability.
Why won’t Rahul Gandhi attend?
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, told reporters at the Parliament complex that he would not be able to attend the all-party meeting as he is scheduled for a program in Kerala.
Earlier, the Congress hit out at the prime minister, saying his crisis statement was a “prepared text full of self-praise” for what it said he had achieved in the last 11 years.
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In his remarks, prime minister he said that West Asia was important to India because nearly one million Indians lived and worked there Persian Gulf countries. A large number of Indian crew members worked on merchant ships plying these seas.
“Given these various reasons, India’s concerns are naturally greater. Therefore, it is imperative that a unanimous and united voice from the Indian Parliament on this crisis comes out to the world,” he said.
Modi-Trump talks
On March 24 Prime Minister Narendra Modi he said he received a call from President Trump and had a helpful exchange on the situation in West Asia.
“India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace as soon as possible. Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is critical to the entire world. We have agreed to stay in touch on peace and stability efforts,” Modi said.
