Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan have jointly called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a joint statement released by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday evening said.
“Both leaders reiterated the need to unite efforts to immediately reach a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza to allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access at scale,” read the statement, issued after leadership talks on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
The UAE President was the Chief Guest at the Summit and departed India on Wednesday after concluding his two-day official visit.
The joint statement noted that the two leaders held constructive talks reaffirming the strength of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.
Prime Minister Modi has also lauded the UAE leadership for penning the United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution 2270 on the humanitarian situation in Gaza as the Middle-East state held the non-permanent membership of the UNSC for 2022-23.
The joint statement underscored that both the leaders also agreed to further strengthen bilateral partnership to “enhance maritime security and connectivity in the region” in view of the security concerns in the Red Sea.
“Both sides emphasized the importance of multilateralism and called for collective action to promote a just, rules-based global order,” it stated, adding that the UAE reiterated its “strong endorsement” for India’s permanent membership of the UNSC.
India in Touch with Israel, Palestine
Ruchira Kamboj, New Delhi’s permanent representative to the UN, told the General Assembly this week that the Indian government was in touch with both Israel and Palestine in order to deescalate the conflict in Gaza.
Kamboj condemned the large-scale loss of civilian lives in the Gaza conflict and described it as “unacceptable”.
The Indian envoy also demanded an “immediate and unconditional” release of hostages held by Hamas.
She reiterated New Delhi’s stance about the 7 October attack by Hamas being the “trigger” of the current escalation in hostilities.
The Gaza Health Ministry said on Wednesday that Israeli strikes since 7 October have left over 23,357 people dead and nearly 60,000 injured.