Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar spoke with the United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on 11th January 2024 where the leaders discussed the two countries’ shared concerns over reckless Houthi attacks in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which threaten the free flow of commerce, endanger innocent mariners, and violate international law.
During the interaction, Blinken “welcomed increased cooperation with India in defending freedom of navigation in the region”, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a press release.
It was also informed that Blinken and Jaishankar discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict, efforts to prevent the conflict’s escalation and increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. The Secretary also discussed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Spokesperson said.
The Houthi rebels, who are based in Yemen, has unleashed several attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea which it claims are in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
Earlier, the Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal asserted that freedom of navigation and free movement of commercial shipping are highly important matters to India and said that it is looking at all aspects of the evolving situation. He informed that the Indian Navy ships are patrolling the area and also keeping a watch on Indian ships there.
On 11th January 2024, the armed forces of the United States and United Kingdom, with support from the Netherlands, Canada, Bahrain, and Australia, conducted strikes against a number of targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The joint statement from the Governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States stated that these strikes were intended “to disrupt and degrade the capabilities the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of international mariners in one of the world’s most critical waterways.”
The joint statement further stated that the Houthis has carried out over 24 such attacks on international commercial shipping and called for “the immediate end of illegal attacks and warned that malign actors would be held accountable should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and the free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”
US President Joe Biden, in his statement, said, “These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes. I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
