Harsh Shringla calls for joint efforts to ensure peace in Indo-Pacific

“An Indo-Pacific guided by norms and governed by rules, with freedom of navigation, open connectivity, and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, is an article of faith for India,” Shringla told a workshop organised by the ORF and the embassies of France and Japan.

Published on: Jan 20, 2021, 04:01:46 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar, New Delhi

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India, France and Japan have to work with like-minded countries to ensure the Indo-Pacific region remains open and peaceful even as they focus on economic resilience and post-Covid-19 recovery, foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said on Tuesday.

Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla talked of Indo-Pacific joint effort a workshop to ensure the region remains open and peaceful. (PTI)

“An Indo-Pacific guided by norms and governed by rules, with freedom of navigation, open connectivity, and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, is an article of faith for India,” Shringla told a workshop organised by the Observer Research Foundation and the embassies of France and Japan. Japanese ambassador Satoshi Suzuki said his country perceives India as “the indispensable partner” in its efforts to achieve a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

French envoy Emmanuel Lenain said the Covid-19 crisis was a “great accelerator of both opportunities and risks” and there had been a “rapid change in the balance of power, including unilateral policies by some countries”. India has stepped up cooperation with its partners to oppose unilateral actions and protect freedom of navigation and overflight across the Indo-Pacific.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More