French President Emmanuel Macron made a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, Thursday, before a conference hosted by Britain and France on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and they discussed the situation in West Asia.
Modi said on social media that he received a phone call from Macron and that they “agreed on the need to urgently restore safety and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
He added: “We will continue our close cooperation to promote peace and stability in the region and beyond,” without providing details. There was no official statement from the Indian side regarding the conversation, which came two days after US President Donald Trump called Modi to discuss the West Asia crisis.
Macron spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Trump on Monday and urged the resumption of negotiations to clarify misunderstandings and avoid further escalation.
On the same day, Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that their countries would host a virtual conference in Paris on April 17 to discuss restoring freedom of navigation in the vital waterway.
Iran closed the strait shortly after military strikes by Israel and the United States sparked the conflict in West Asia on February 28. Trump ordered the blockade of Iranian ports after the first direct talks between Iranian and American officials in Islamabad ended last weekend without any result.
Macron said this week that the Strait of Hormuz must be “reopened unconditionally, without restrictions or fees, as soon as possible.” He said the conference to be held in Paris on Friday would bring together “non-warring countries ready to contribute side by side.” [Britain and France]“To a multilateral and purely defensive mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait when security conditions permit.”
Several NATO member states, including Britain and France, have said they will not be drawn into the West Asia conflict by participating in Trump’s blockade.
A British government spokesman said the conference in Paris is expected to “promote work towards a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to protect international shipping once the conflict ends.”
Foreign Minister Vikram Misri represented India in a virtual meeting chaired by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on April 2 to discuss reopening the Strait.
