India evacuates 67,000 nationals amid West Asia crisis; Jaishankar calls Gulf tensions 'a matter of particular concern'

New Delhi: India has helped nearly 67,000 of its nationals return home amid the crisis in West Asia, external affairs minister S Jaishankar informed Parliament on Monday. Briefing about the developments in West Asia, he assured both the Houses that the government was making every effort to assist Indian citizens stranded in different countries of the region.

Jaishankar said the government has set up a dedicated special control room to monitor the situation and respond to queries from affected Indians and their families. The MEA had issued its latest update on the situation on March 7.

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"Our diplomats have worked hard to assist stranded transit passengers in hubs like Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi," he said, adding that Indian missions had facilitated international border crossings for citizens travelling from the UAE to Oman and from Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.

"Wherever there has been a partial opening of air space, we have approved and undertaken commercial flights, including non-scheduled flights, to enable the return of Indian passengers," he said.

Jaishankar also confirmed that an Iranian naval vessel, IRIS Lavan, docked at Kochi on March 4 after India granted permission for Iranian ships to use its ports on the request of the Iranian government. "We believe that this was the right thing to do and the Iranian foreign minister has expressed his country's thanks for this humane gesture," he said.

He said, "While any development that negatively impacts peace and security in the world is deeply troubling, this ongoing conflict is an issue of particular concern for India. We are a neighbouring region and understandably, have obvious stakes that West Asia remains stable and peaceful. There are almost one crore Indian citizens who live and work in the Gulf nations. In Iran too, there are a few thousand Indians who are there for study or employment. The region is key to our energy security and includes many important suppliers of oil and gas."

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The EAM noted that the Gulf is a major trade partner for India accounting for almost $200 billion annually. He condoled the death of two Indian mariners in an attack by the Iranian side on a merchant ship, adding that one mariner is still missing.

The EAM said, "We believed and continue to believe that dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate tension and address underlying issues. It is also important that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region be respected."

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in direct contact with several regional leaders, including the President of the UAE, the Emir of Qatar, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince of Kuwait, the King of Bahrain, the Sultan of Oman, the King of Jordan and the PM of Israel.