India needs multidimensional approach to West Asia amid regional conflicts: Col Rajeev Agarwal
Hyderabad, Sept 21(TNT): India needs to adopt a multidimensional approach to deal with the evolving conflicts and fragmentation in West Asia, with focus on security, energy resilience, connectivity and strategic autonomy, Col Rajeev Agarwal (Retd), Senior Research Consultant at Chintan Research Foundation, said.
Delivering a guest lecture on “Reimagining India’s West Asia Policy amid Regional Conflict and Fragmentation” at the Kautilya School of Public Policy (KSPP), GITAM Deemed to be University here recently, Agarwal said India’s engagement with West Asia had evolved into a multidimensional strategic partnership covering energy, trade, investment, defence, connectivity and security.
He said India and key West Asian countries were witnessing growing strategic convergence and cooperation in areas such as intelligence sharing, cyber security, space, drones and maritime security.
Highlighting the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, Agarwal said its security was critical to global energy flows and India, given its dependence on West Asia for crude oil, LNG and LPG.
He also stressed the need to safeguard the interests of the Indian diaspora and seafarers and strengthen energy resilience and connectivity.
Agarwal proposed the “SHIELD” framework for India’s engagement with West Asia, comprising Security, Humans First, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Energy Security and Resilience, Linkages through Trade and Investment, and Diplomacy and Strategic Autonomy.
The lecture was attended by students from KSPP and other schools of GITAM, along with KSPP Dean and former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin.
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