ONE could not miss the genuineness of message in the statement of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, when he said that India saw the Middle East region as a ‘crucial passage to the world beyond’. His statement reflects how India values friendship with the Middle East, and highlights the historical and cultural dimensions of the bond beyond mere transactional or trade ties. Today’s world torn by disagreement-driven conflicts needs this kind of deep thinking in diplomacy to widen the points of agreement, and create more passages of connectivity. India has been acting wisely on this front for years now. Especially, in the past decade, the multilateral approach to deepening friendships has been the hallmark of India’s commitment to global good. Consistency on this count has made several powers of the world listen carefully and seriously to India.

 

As far as the Middle East is concerned, India has been focussing on harnessing its strength and extending co-operation to work out things that are mutually beneficial. Hence, may it be the I2U2 initiative comprising India, Israel, the US, the UAE; or the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) involving India, Middle East, and Europe; or the focus on MENA or Middle East-North Africa region, or bilateral ties, India has made it a point to enhance relations with the Middle East. For the superficial observers, these initiatives may come across as the groupings of countries with conflicting interests. But, such observers tend to overlook the fact that international friendships are not cast in stone. As countries and their orientation towards economic prosperity and human development evolve, the nature of relationships also changes. Of course, there are some observers wearing only political lenses. They view India’s ties with the Middle East from the lens of Hindu-Muslim only. Nothing can be this far from truth. As is evident, several Islamic countries have conferred their highest honours to Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. Besides, Hindu temples have come up in several Islamic countries.

 

More recently, the Indonesian President Mr. Probowo Subianto spoke about his ‘Indian DNA’. All these dump the political notion about Hindu-Muslim divide having an adverse impact on international relations of India. Only Pakistan and some political elements may hold dear to the divisive notion. India has been engaging with the leaders of the Middle East at different forums. Given India’s stellar performance in hosting the G20 Summit in which the African Union got membership, and also the focus on providing an organised voice to the Global South keeping in mind the strategic balancing of world order, the Middle East also believes that friendship with India can boost its presence internationally. Already, through I2U2 and IMEC, the Middle East has found new opportunities for it to play a bigger role in international trade and security co-operation. But, this is not the only reason that the Middle East wishes to engage with India. Rather, the ties have historical roots.

 

This can be seen in a few million Indians constituting an important workforce in various sectors in the Middle East. Their presence has foundation in the trust that India and the Middle East share. India’s vision for expanding the footprint of co-operation to Europe, North Africa, or West Asia has a significant role for the Middle East. Though the Communist China believes itself to be the ‘Middle Kingdom’ of the world, it is the Middle East that acts as centre of the world. For, it connects the East with the West and also North with the South. Hence, India views the Middle East as the ‘crucial passage’ to the world beyond. The Raisina Middle East dialogue is an important platform to deepen multilateralism, with the Middle East in focus.