India backs immediate ceasefire in West Asia

Rome, Nov 25: India supports an immediate ceasefire in West Asia and favours a two-state solution in the long-term, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Monday as he condemned terrorism, hostage-taking and civilian casualties in military operations.
Speaking at the 10th edition of the MED Mediterranean Dialogue in Rome, Jaishankar said that India regards large-scale civilian casualties in military operations to be unacceptable and added that international humanitarian law cannot be disregarded.
“In immediate terms, we should all support the ceasefire… In the longer term, it is imperative that the future of the Palestinian people be addressed. India favours a two-state solution,” he said.
Voicing concerns over the widening of the conflict in West Asia, Jaishankar said that India has been in regular touch with both Israel and Iran at the highest levels to advocate restraint and enhance communication.
He said an Indian contingent like Italy is in Lebanon as part of UNIFIL. Indian naval ships have been deployed in the Gulf of Aden and the northern Arabian Sea since last year to protect commercial shipping. United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) has around 10,500 peacekeepers drawn from 50 troop-contributing countries. India has more than 900 people as part of UNIFIL in Lebanon. “Given our capacity to engage various parties, we are always willing to contribute meaningfully to any international diplomatic endeavours,” he said.
On the Ukraine-Russia war, he said the continuation of this conflict has serious, destabilising consequences, including for the Mediterranean. “What is clear is that no solution is going to emerge from the battlefield. India has consistently held the view that disputes in this era cannot be settled by war. There must be a return to dialogue and diplomacy. The sooner, the better. This is a widespread sentiment in the world today, especially in the Global South,” he said.
Since June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally engaged leaders of both Russia and Ukraine to this end, this has included his visiting Moscow and Kyiv, and senior officials remain in continuous touch. (PTI)