New Delhi: Reflecting upon the recent developments and changes in West Asia and how they impact India, National Security Advisor, Government of India, Shri Shiv Shankar Menon in a special address today said "there is today no region which impinges on India’s security with as much immediacy as West Asia". He added that the present challenges in the region include, “the space that domestic changes in several countries have opened up for extremist groups to pursue their agendas”, “the possible regional instability and the sectarian divide that seems to be opening up”, and “the disruptions and dislocations that accompany processes of fundamental change in the way these societies and nations are run.”
Shri Menon was speaking on the concluding day of the 15th Asian Security Conference on ‘Emerging Trends in West Asia: Regional and Global Implications’ organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) from February 13-15 2013.
Further, while insisting that India has strongly supported the “democratic aspirations” of the people of West Asia, it has stopped short of supporting the “externally enforced change”, the NSA said that societies cannot be reordered from the outside through military force. “We only have to look at the instability radiating out of Libya into the Sahel region and the prolonged conflict in Syria, with spill over effects in Mali and the wider region,” he added.
“The turbulence in the region poses short term challenges but also opens up longer term opportunities in terms of our security,” said Shri Menon. Demographics, communications, the political role of religion, and cultural factors are all changing rapidly and in ways that affect the politics of West Asia very deeply. But these factors have yet to work themselves out and their implications are still far from clear.”
Speaking on India’s contribution towards promoting peaceful and balanced strategic environment in West Asia, he said that India has “worked to promote defence cooperation with the countries of the region, bilaterally and through cooperation among the Indian Ocean rim countries.”
On India’s take on the Arab-Israeli conflict, the NSA said, “our support for peace in the Middle East has been principled and consistent. India was the first non-Arab country to recognize the state of Palestine.” India has opposed the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in the region and has contributed to the anti-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa and has developed maritime cooperation with the countries of the Gulf to protect the sea-lanes that are vital to our trade and energy flows, added the NSA.
Touching briefly on India’s historical relations with West Asia he added that “the strong Indian interest in West Asia continues to this day”, and that “India’s trade and economic ties with the region of about US$ 160 billion are growing, as is our dependence for energy. About 60% of our oil and gas is imported from the region. It is also a factor in our food security as a major source of phosphatic and other fertilizers. Major maritime lines of communication carrying our westward trade and our energy supplies pass through the region. We share common cause with the people of the region in fighting extremism and terrorism.”
India Supports Democratic Aspirations of West Asia, not Externally Enforced Change: NSA