External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held talks with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Rome on a range of issues, including the developments in the Indo-Pacific and the conflict in West Asia.
India’s economic diplomacy has become a crucial component of its broader strategic engagements, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed concern over ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world at the 19th East Asia Summit at Vientiane, Lao PDR and said this is not the age of war and solutions to problems cannot be found in the battlefield.
The Quad will stand up for a free and open Indo-Pacific region in all eventualities, White House officials have said, adding that there is no dilution in terms of its focus.
In a major initiative, Quad leaders launched an ''Indo-Pacific Logistics Network'' pilot project to pursue shared airlift capacity among the four member nations and leverage their collective logistics strengths, to support civilian response to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the Indo-Pacific region.
Through a post on X, Mr Singh stated that a range of issues pertaining to bilateral defence cooperation were reviewed. “We place great value on India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” he said.
Despite some distractions brought about by the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and Gaza, recent developments indicate that the global geopolitical spotlight on the Indo-Pacific remains solid.
The delegation was led by Secretary, Department of Commerce, Sunil Barthwal. At the forum, the region's top investors, clean economy companies, and start-ups came together to mobilise investments into sustainable infrastructure, climate technology, and renewable energy projects.
In the wake of China's aggressive posturing on maritime issues, the external affairs minister said the transformation of India is critical to strengthening multipolarity in Asia.
Illustrating New Delhi's own situation vis-a-vis China, he said for nearly 45 years, there was no bloodshed on the India-China border but things changed in 2020.
