Speaking at the Raisina Roundtable organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in Tokyo on Thursday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stressed the need to strengthen the defence capabilities of India and Japan.
“As the voice of the Global South, India is conscious of its responsibility. Our development efforts today span 78 nations across different continents. Can India and Japan coordinate with regards to their developmental systems? Maritime safety and security have become particularly pressing concerns,” he said.
Shedding light on the ongoing tensions in the Red Sea, Jaishankar said: “We can see that in the Red Sea, we have just had the first casualties in shipping. It is also necessary to strengthen our defence capabilities for the benefit of the larger region…”
Three crew members were killed in a Houthi missile strike on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, according to US officials.
Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack that set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence on fire, some 50 nautical miles (93 km) off the coast of Yemen’s port of Aden.
The Houthis have been carrying out attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea since November, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.
The Houthis initially said that they would target Israel-linked ships but have now expanded their targets to include vessels linked to the United Kingdom and the US.
Jaishankar is currently on a visit to Japan from March 6-8 for the 16th India-Japan Foreign Minister’s Strategic Dialogue with his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa.
The leaders are expected to discuss issues of bilateral, regional and global importance, and exchange views on cooperation for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
(Inputs from agencies)