‘India backs early ceasefire in Gaza’: S Jaishankar at meeting with Saudi Arabia

India and Saudi Arabia discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict on Wednesday, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar saying New Delhi backs an early ceasefire in Gaza and the resolution of the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution.

While India condemns acts of terrorism, any response to the October 7 terror attacks must take into account international humanitarian law, Jaishankar said at a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

Describing Saudi Arabia as an “important force for stability” in West Asia, Jaishankar said in his opening remarks: “The situation in West Asia is a matter of deep concern, particularly the conflict in Gaza.”

Pointing to India’s principled and consistent position on the conflict, he said, “While we condemn acts of terrorism and hostage-taking, we are deeply pained by the continuing death of innocent civilians. Any response must take into account the international humanitarian law. We support an early ceasefire.”

Jaishankar said India has stood for the resolution of the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution, and contributed to the building of Palestinian institutions.

India calls for de-escalation of tension in Middle East

In recent weeks, India has called for the de-escalation of tensions and measures to prevent the widening of the conflict, especially after Israel launched attacks on Lebanon. It has called for the immediate cessation of hostilities, release of all hostages, resumption of humanitarian aid and dialogue aimed at a two-state solution.

Jaishankar said the two countries have a similar interest in preserving the stability of the region and driving their economies towards greater prosperity.

The two foreign ministers were co-chairing the second meeting of the Committee on Political, Security, Social and Cultural Cooperation under the bilateral Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), the apex body overseeing political, strategic and trade ties between India and Saudi Arabia.

The ministers reviewed the progress in the bilateral relationship since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to India in September 2023, the external affairs ministry said in a readout.

Both sides discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership in areas such as trade, investment, energy, defence, security, culture and consular matters.

Prince Faisal highlighted the importance of coordination and collaboration on issues of mutual interest, particularly in areas related to international peace, security and economic development, according to a statement from the Saudi foreign ministry. He said that strengthening cooperation would serve the mutual interests of the two countries.

Jaishankar further said that the bilateral defence partnership has witnessed several firsts in recent years, including the first land forces joint exercise in 2024 and two editions of joint naval exercises. “And our cooperation has now expanded in the field of defence industry and exports as well,” he said.

Security cooperation too has grown and the two sides are collaborating in counter-terrorism, combating extremism, terror financing and drug trafficking.

Trade and investment are important pillars of the bilateral partnership, and the two sides are strengthening collaboration in new areas such as technology, energy, renewable energy, connectivity and education.

Jaishankar also thanked the Saudi leadership for taking care of the welfare of the 2.6 million-strong Indian community in Saudi Arabia.