Jaishankar, 69, also reiterated that India supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue during an interaction with the Indian community here.
Jaishankar said West Asia is a region of deep strategic interest to India, and in recent times, it’s a region where there is cause for deep concern, particularly over the conflict in Gaza.
“As a country that itself has been impacted so deeply by terrorism, we are very strongly opposed to terrorism and hostage-taking. They should never be excused or condoned,” Jaishankar said.
“But at the same time, it is very important that any action which is taken by any government or any armed force must always take care of civilian casualties and must always be respectful of humanitarian law,” the minister said.
Jaishankar further said that India has been contributing to the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), the primary relief agency in respect of Palestinians, and given relief to the Palestine authority and also given medical relief to Lebanon.
“At the end of the day, we do believe there must be a solution to the Palestine issue because if there is not one, it will always remain a cause of instability in the region,” he said.
Jaishankar said India supports a two-state solution to the Palestine issue and that is something that the international community has to discuss and agree upon.
Interacting with the Indian community, Jaishankar said, “The country in the last decade has taken very big and consequential steps in the last decade towards Viksit Bharat (developed India).” Jaishankar said he could list a few big initiatives such as ease of doing business, ease of living for the common citizens, transformation of infrastructure and digital public infrastructure in the last decade that have contributed towards this goal. “Delighted to interact with members of the Indian community in Bahrain today. They represent an India that is confident, capable and respected. Thanked them for their contributions in deepening India-Bahrain friendship,” Jaishankar posted on X.
Earlier, Jaishankar underlined new opportunities in space, education, FinTech and technology as he held talks with his Bahraini counterpart and exchanged views on recent developments in the region.
“We see great potential in many new areas like space, education, FinTech, and science & technology. I would like to take the opportunity to publicly affirm the priority that we attach to developing our cooperation with Bahrain,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks.
Noting “significant progress” in recent years in trade and investment, the minister said that New Delhi wants to develop a positive momentum and invited investors from Bahrain to come and explore opportunities in India.
He said the two countries also cooperate closely in defence and security matters and reaffirmed India’s firm commitment to the safety and security of international maritime activities.
Describing Bahrain as a “valuable partner” in the Gulf region, Jaishankar said India appreciates Manama’s support at various multilateral and international forums.
Jaishankar, who arrived in Manama on Saturday on the final leg of his two-nation trip, co-chaired the 4th India-Bahrain High Joint Commission (HJC) with his Bahrain counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.
The Indian side acknowledged that the bilateral security dialogue and the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) in the field of combating international terrorism, are important mechanisms in institutionalising cooperation in the area of security cooperation, including Cybersecurity.
The two ministers reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and called on all states to reject and abandon the use of terrorism against other countries, the joint statement said.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to exploring avenues of cooperation in diverse areas including Energy and Hydrocarbons, Renewable Energy, Infrastructure, Trade and Investments, Defence and Security, Health, Food and Agriculture, Hospitality, Pharmaceutical Industry, Electronic Industry, downstream Aluminium, IT and data centres, Space, Tourism, Environment, Youth and Sports.
Both sides acknowledged the deepening of political and people-to-people ties since the historic state visits. The Indian side highlighted the increase in Indian investment in Bahrain since the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.
