India lodges strong UN protest against US offensive after Indian merchant ship hit near Oman

Statement by Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, Permanent Representative at UN. There are almost ten million Indian citizens who live and work in the Gulf region. Their safety and well-being are of utmost priority to us. Our trade and energy supply chains are dependent on stability in the region and any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy. India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping as many of our nationals are prominent in its global workforce. Many Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of attacks against countries of the region and against merchant vessels and sea lanes of communication. In this background, India strongly reiterated its call for dialogue and diplomacy, avoiding impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, avoiding military targeting of commercial shipping, avoiding targeting of civilian population and infrastructure, and seeking an early end to the conflict. India expressed its support to all efforts aimed at peaceful resolution of issues.

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