India believes that the US, despite its pivot towards Asia-Pacific region, remains an important player for stability in West Asia in the fight against ISIS and security of Israel, a senior Indian diplomat said today.
Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said that while India has been asked to play a more active role in the Middle East, the country needs to assess this based on its strategic leverages and realistic consideration of strengths and limitations.
Speaking at the 2nd annual West Asia conference organised by think-tank IDSA, he noted that after almost five years of 'Arab Spring' in the region, the "earlier exaggerated expectations of progress towards democracy have turned out to be misplaced".
On the whole, developments over the last few years have exacerbated the regional fault lines, accentuated regional rivalries with competing ideologies and skewed the regional balance of power, he said.
Talking about the problems in the region, he said that India acknowledges that the future political discourse taking into account popular aspirations in the countries has to be determined from within and without any external interference or influence.
"While India is not in the business of exporting democracy, promotion of democratic values may be in alignment with India's belief in these principles.
"This requires tactful approach in pursuing our interests and avoiding negative fallout of conflict in our own country," he said.
Talking about external players, he said that India believes that US, despite its pivot towards Asia-Pacific region, remains an important player for regional stability (i.E. Fight against ISIS, security of Israel)," a written copy of his speech released by the Ministry said.
He added that other countries have attempted to re-engage and may have gained in appeal as a counterweight to the West in the region.
"The Russian entry in Syria militarily has boosted prospects of the regime in Damascus and focussed on war against ISIS," he said.
Wadhwa said that the year has begun with an escalation of rivalry in the Gulf region with Saudi Arabia and Iran severing diplomatic ties.
"It has further sharpened sectarian divide with a few Gulf monarchies openly taking sides in the conflict," he said.
The Secretary stressed that India remains cautious that
its approach towards the region should not be misconstrued as being partisan or sectarian, as India has stayed out of any regional alliance based on sectarian or other similar considerations.
"We need to be sensitive to the perceptions of our own religious and ethnic mix in the population. At the same time, given the sectarian volatility in the region, we should remain prepared for any fundamental/sectarian backlash emanating from the region," he said.
He added that the recent set of events involving escalation of tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the ensuing diplomatic brinkmanship being carried out by the allies of each side, represents a new high in the escalation of regional tensions, which does not augur well for the region as a whole.
"It requires careful monitoring and continuous assessment of the situation for preserving our vital stakes and interests while avoiding the risk of entanglement," he said.
Talking about ISIS, he said that it is a new type of virulent terrorist manifestation with global ramifications.
India believes that the only solution to this threat can be through a larger political approach requiring a consolidated, rather than fragmented perspective, including intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism, cyber-space cooperation for containment of outbound flow of foreign fighters into Iraq and Syria, he said.
Other measures include developing a legal framework for fighting terrorism at national and international level including early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, tracking of financial flows and humanitarian assistance.
"So far, the efforts of ISIS to gain recruits from India has met with limited success largely owing to our own pluralist society and inclusive democratic experience.
"There are reported to be a small number of Indian jihadi fighters in Iraqi-Syrian war zones, but the Government is taking measures to control this through immigration controls, intelligence sharing, and liaison with state Governments," he said.
On the Palestine issue, he said that India's policy is that of extending strong support to the Palestinian cause, while maintaining good relations with Israel.
