India and several of its Indian Ocean neighbors on Saturday supported regional frameworks to ensure maritime security and uphold international laws against the backdrop of the US sinking of an Iranian warship, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stressing that India continues to provide net security to the region.
Jaishankar joined his counterparts from Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles to stress the importance of international laws, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in dealing with recent developments and ensuring unhindered freedom of navigation and trade at the Raisina Dialogue session that focused on the future of the Indian Ocean.
The sinking of the Iranian frigate Iris Dina by an American submarine near the coast of Sri Lanka on March 4 raised concerns about the expansion of the conflict in West Asia into India’s strategic backyard.
The Iranian warship was departing after participating in an international fleet review and a multi-nation exercise hosted by India. Since then, two other Iranian warships have docked in Sri Lanka and India and their crews have settled ashore.
Jaishankar, the first senior Indian leader to comment on the sinking of the Iris Dina, said that India received a message from the Iranian side on February 28 that one of its ships wanted to enter an Indian port after encountering problems. Permission was given to the ship to do so on 1 March, and the warship IRIS Lavan docked at Kochi on 4 March.
IRIS Lavan staff, including several young students, are based at a nearby facility.
“When these ships set off and came here, the situation was completely different. They were coming to review the fleet and then they were caught on the wrong side of events,” Jaishankar said.
“For us, when this ship wanted to enter and was also facing difficulties, this was a humanitarian act,” he said, referring to the sinking of the IRIS Dena. “We were guided by this principle. Among other ships, one of the ships faced a similar situation in Sri Lanka and made the decision it did. Unfortunately, one did not make the decision.”
He added: “We dealt with the matter from a humanitarian point of view, as opposed to whatever the legal issues were. I think we did the right thing.”
Jaishankar also insisted that India remains a “net provider of security” in the Indian Ocean, a region where outside powers like the US and China have maintained a military presence in places like Diego Garcia, Bahrain and Djibouti.
He said: “We are a net security provider, but that does not replace or negate the facts of what the region is, because it is a region in which countries other than the countries of the region are present in a maritime manner.”
He added: “Diego Garcia has been in the Indian Ocean for the past five decades… and the fact that there are foreign forces stationed in Djibouti happened in the early 2000s. Hambantota emerged during this period… and the US Fifth Fleet is stationed in Bahrain.”
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath responded to the sinking of the IRIS Dena and reported on US pressure not to repatriate the warship’s crew members by emphasizing the importance of following UNCLOS and international laws. “Sri Lanka faces a lot of challenges… We need to strengthen it [the] “Implementing international laws,” he said.
“In this incident also…we are following international laws and have taken all steps in accordance with international laws. I believe we do not need any party’s support. We have taken all steps in a humanitarian manner,” Herath said.
Herath, Mauritian Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramphole and Seychelles Foreign Minister Barry Faure stressed the importance of regional cooperation frameworks to ensure maritime security and uphold international laws. Jaishankar said India is practicing what it preaches by asking all countries to abide by the provisions under UNCLOS.
Jaishankar also highlighted India’s focus on ensuring the safety of Indian seafarers and 10 million Indian citizens living in West Asian countries amid conflicts.
“Indians constitute a very large segment of the people who operate commercial ships. Every time there is an attack on a tanker or ships carrying goods, it is very likely that all or part of that ship will be piloted by Indians,” he added, referring to the Indian deaths in the recent attacks on two oil tankers.
