Regarding Lebanon, Dr. Jaishankar noted that India, like Italy, has a contingent deployed as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Additionally, Indian naval ships have been safeguarding commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the northern Arabian Sea since last year.“Given our capacity to engage with various parties, we are always willing to contribute meaningfully to any international diplomatic efforts,” Dr. Jaishankar said.Turning to the conflict in Ukraine, now in its third year, Dr. Jaishankar emphasized that the continuation of the war has serious destabilizing consequences, including for the Mediterranean region.India has consistently maintained that no solution will emerge from the battlefield and that disputes in this era cannot be resolved by war.“There must be a return to dialogue and diplomacy; the sooner, the better. This is a widespread sentiment across the world today, especially in the Global South. Since June this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally engaged with leaders of both Russia and Ukraine to this end,” he noted, adding that the Prime Minister had visited both Moscow and Kyiv.
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