India’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Harish P, on Thursday expressed grave concern over the threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and called for the immediate resumption of safe navigation while calling for restraint and de-escalation amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Delivering India’s statement at the UN General Assembly’s veto initiative debate on the “Situation in the Middle East”, Harish P emphasized that maritime security remains vital to India’s energy and economic interests.
“An aspect of special concern to India in terms of its energy and economic security is commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. India has expressed its regret that commercial shipping has become the target of military attacks in this conflict,” he said.
Harish P highlighted the human cost of the conflict, noting that Indian citizens were among the victims.
We called on all states to promote dialogue and diplomacy and de-escalation of tensions and to address the underlying issues in a targeted manner.
He added: “We have also called for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states… India has condemned the fact that commercial shipping has been the target of military attacks in this conflict. Precious lives of Indian seafarers have been lost on board ships during the conflict. We reiterate that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members in Stram or otherwise obstructing freedom of navigation in the Horm and otherwise obstructing navigation is unacceptable.”
International law must be fully respected in this regard. We strongly request that safe and unrestricted freedom of navigation and global trade through the Strait of Hormuz be restored as soon as possible, Harish further noted.
(This is a current report; check back later for updates)
