Amid the West Asia crisis, India has urged restoration of safe and unimpeded maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz at the earliest while expressing concern about safety of its seafarers, stressing that any “purported closure” of vital waterways has direct consequences for the global economy.
Addressing the UN Security Council open debate on ‘The Safety and Protection of Waterways in the Maritime Domain’ on Monday, Charge d’affaires at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, Ambassador Yojna Patel, stressed that India sees maritime security and the protection of waterways as essential to global security and economic prosperity.
“As a major trading nation, India strongly deplores the recent targeting of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the endangerment of innocent civilian crew members. Such actions have resulted in the tragic loss of precious lives of Indian seafarers and are unacceptable,” Patel said during the debate held under the Council Presidency of