"India is working on major corridors both to its east and west...": Jaishankar

Tokyo: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised that India is working on major corridors both to its east and west, and once completed, these corridors will connect the Atlantic to the Pacific through Asia.

Speaking at the Raisina Roundtable organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in Tokyo on Thursday, Jaishankar highlighted the major corridors on which India is currently working.

"India is today working on major corridors both to its east and west. They include the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) initiative through the Arabian peninsula and the international north-south transport corridor and towards east the trilateral highway in southeast Asia and the Chennai Vladivostok route, which also has polar implications...these corridors when completed will connect the Atlantic to the Pacific through Asia," he said.

Jaishankar further said that India and Japan have converging views on the need for collaborative connectivity.

"Two nations (India and Japan) have converging views about the need for transparent and collaborative connectivity," he said.

In his address, Jaishankar also stressed the need to strengthen our defence capabilities.

"As the voice of the global south, India is conscious of the responsibility, our development efforts today span 78 nations across different continents, can India and Japan coordinate in regards to their developmental systems?...Maritime safety and security have become particularly pressing concerns," he said.

Shedding light on the ongoing tensions in the Red Sea, he said, "We can see that at the Red Sea, we have just had the first casualties there in shipping. It is also necessary to strengthen our defence capabilities for the benefit of the larger region..."

On Wednesday, three crew members were killed in a Houthi missile strike on a cargo ship off southern Yemen according to US officials.

Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, that set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence on fire on Wednesday, some 50 nautical miles (93 km) off the coast of Yemen's port of Aden.

The Houthis have been carrying out attacks on commercial and military shipping in the Red Sea since November, halting the global trade routes.

The Houthis initially said that they would target Israel-linked ships in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, but later expanded their targets to include vessels linked to the United Kingdom and the US.

Jaishankar is currently on a visit to Japan from March 6-8. Prior to this, he visited South Korea, where he met the top leaders during his stay.

He is in Japan for the 16th India-Japan Foreign Minister's Strategic Dialogue with his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa.

The two ministers are expected to discuss issues of bilateral, regional and global importance, and exchange views on cooperation for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, according to MEA.