Conflict in West Asia 'a matter of great concern'; India supports ceasefire: Jaishankar

India supports an early ceasefire in Gaza and has consistently advocated resolution of the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

In his opening remarks at a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Jaishankar said the situation in West Asia is a matter of “deep concern”, especially the conflict in Gaza.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs described it Saudi Arabia as a major force for stability in the region.

Jaishankar and Al Saud co-chaired the second meeting of the Committee on Political, Security, Social and Cultural Cooperation (PSSC), held under the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC).

In his remarks, Jaishankar said Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 are complementary for both sides’ industries to build new partnerships.

“Trade and investment are key pillars of our partnership, and we are strengthening our cooperation in new areas, including technology, energy, renewable energy, including green hydrogen, connectivity, healthcare and education,” he said.

Al Saud is on a two-day visit to India.

On the situation in Gaza, Jaishankar said any response must take international humanitarian law into account.

“The situation in West Asia is of great concern, especially the conflict in Gaza. India’s stand in this regard has been principled and consistent,” he said.

“While we condemn acts of terrorism and hostage taking, we are deeply pained by the continued deaths of innocent civilians. Any response must take international humanitarian law into account. We support an early ceasefire,” Jaishankar said.

“India has consistently stood for resolution of the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution. We have also contributed to building Palestinian institutions and capacities,” he added.

While delving into India-Saudi Arabia ties, the Foreign Minister said both sides were maintaining a good pace of high-level engagement and coordination across multilateral forums.

“Our defense partnership has witnessed several ‘firsts’ in recent years, including the first-ever joint land forces exercise in 2024; and two editions of our joint naval exercises,” he said.

“We had regular exchanges on training and capacity building. And our cooperation has now also expanded into the areas of defense industry and exports,” he said.

Jaishankar also noted steady growth in security cooperation between the two sides.

“We work together on counter-terrorism, countering extremism, terrorist financing and drug trafficking,” he said.

“We welcome efforts to promote culture, tourism and youth exchanges. And we see significant opportunities for cooperation in media and entertainment,” he said.

During the meeting, the two sides also deliberated on issues related to the G20, the BRICSthe IMEEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor) and other regional and global issues.

In his opening remarks, Jaishankar said India and Saudi Arabia have a similar interest in maintaining the stability of the region and driving their economies towards greater prosperity.

“We have maintained a good pace of high-level engagement and coordination within the multilateral fora. The Indian community in Saudi Arabia is 2.6 million people and I take this opportunity to thank you for their well-being and comfort,” he said.