Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India on Saturday told world leaders at the UN General Assembly that attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers during the ongoing conflict in the Gulf are “simply unacceptable”. Addressing the General Debate at the high-level 81st session of the UN General Assembly, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India remained deeply concerned over the continuing hostilities.
He said India was calling on all sides to show restraint, lower tensions, protect civilians, and ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy and commerce. Jaishankar also said new challenges at sea had added to longstanding problems on land.
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“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,” Jaishankar said. He added that the targeting of commercial shipping and seafarers transiting international waterways is “simply unacceptable”.
Emphasising the risks in the maritime domain, Jaishankar said there had 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,” he said. He told the UNGA session that India had 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,” he said.
India and Liberia on Friday announced the establishment of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, a maritime initiative launched amid continued attacks on commercial shipping. At the group’s establishment, Jaishankar referred to recent attacks on maritime vessels and seafarers, including the strike on the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao in the Gulf of Oman, in which an Indian sailor was killed. Earlier, the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia was struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and an Indian crew member went missing after the incident.
Amid ongoing conflicts around the world, merchant shipping and seafarers are facing increased risks in 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 on Indian-flagged and foreign-flagged vessels operating in or passing through these waters, exposing them to maritime security risks. India’s message at the UN was that such attacks must stop and the safety of shipping and seafarers must be protected.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
