In his media briefing, S Jaishankar said that India’s idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which translates as “the world is one family”, can act as a binding force for the IORA members. He also highlighted how it is important for a country like India, with  extensive coastline and maritime interests, to foster collaboration and dialogue in the Indian Ocean Region.

However, he didn’t hesitate to smartly target Beijing for its policies like debt trap and other agendas.  “We should be equally clear where the dangers are, be it in hidden agendas, in unviable projects or in unsustainable debt. Exchange of experiences, sharing of best practices, greater awareness and deeper collaboration are part of the solutions,” said S Jaishankar.

It is worth noting that the EAM didn’t mention any specific country in his speech. New Delhi’s commitment to IORA is rooted in principles like peaceful coexistence, shared prosperity and regional collaboration. After mentioning India’s commitment for the association, he suggested IORA members to cooperate on different aspects of the maritime economy, resources, connectivity and security, he said.

Many countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives, etc have fallen into the debt trap created by China in the garb of  massive infrastructure projects. Most of these projects were launched under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

China holds the status of dialogue partner with the 23-member grouping IORA. The group promotes cooperation among Indian Ocean states.

“For Member States to grow and prosper, development challenges must be continuously and effectively addressed. In particular, we should cooperate on various aspects of the maritime economy, resources, connectivity and security,” the EAM said at the press conference of the 23rd IORA Council of Ministers Meeting in Sri Lanka.

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Updated: 11 Oct 2023, 08:59 PM IST