United Nations, Sep 26 India on Saturday told world leaders in the UN General Assembly that targeting of commercial shipping and seafarers amid the ongoing conflict in the Gulf is “simply unacceptable”.
“This year, we are witnessing a conflict in the Gulf, one that is exacerbating an already difficult situation. We remain deeply concerned over continuing hostilities,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in his address to the General Debate at the high-level 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
He said the targeting of commercial shipping and seafarers transiting international waterways is “simply unacceptable”.
“India calls upon all parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, ensure protection of civilians, and uninterrupted flow of energy and commerce,” Jaishankar said.
He emphasised that new challenges in the maritime domain have added to longstanding ones on land.
“There have been attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers in the Gulf, and from the Red Sea to the Black Sea. Indian seafarers have lost their lives, as indeed have others from other nations. This is completely unacceptable,” Jaishankar said.
He told the high-level UNGA session that India has joined Liberia and 23 other partners in an initiative to rally global public opinion against such unwarranted targeting.
“We must ensure that the safety and security of shipping and seafarers is never compromised. Scrupulously observing international law is an integral element of that endeavour.”
India and Liberia announced on Friday the establishment of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, a landmark maritime initiative launched amid continued attacks on commercial shipping.
At the group’s establishment, Jaishankar listed recent attacks against maritime vessels and seafarers, including that on an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao in the Gulf of Oman, in which an Indian sailor lost his life. Earlier, a Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia was struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. An Indian crew member went missing after that incident.
Amid ongoing global conflicts, merchant shipping and seafarers are facing increased risks in various regions, including the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab-el-Mandeb, Black Sea, and Somalia.
A significant number of Indian seafarers serve onboard both Indian-flagged and foreign-flagged vessels operating in or transiting through these regions, exposing them to associated maritime security risks.
(PTI News)
