China and Iran claim to be building a new security architecture for West Asia on the pretext of keeping out the “unjustified” presence of “foreign forces”.

The Eastern Mediterranean offers India strong prospects for import of natural gas, given strong bilateral relations with regional countries, including Egypt, Israel, Greece and Cyprus.

The increased diplomatic activity in the Middle East (West Asia) with regional leaders engaging each other at various levels and forums, in spite of the continued regional power competition, ideological misgivings and threat perceptions, is a pleasing as well as a puzzling development. For India, this is an opportunity to enhance its diplomatic and economic engagements with the regional countries.

During his first term, Modi had invested considerable political capital in cultivating critical players. The second term should enable him to reap the fruits of his political investments and elevate his engagements to a higher level.