India is working on major corridors: Jaishankar

Tokyo: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised that India is working on major corridors both to its east and west, and once completed, these corridors will connect the Atlantic to the Pacific through Asia.

Speaking at the Raisina Roundtable organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in Tokyo on Thursday, Jaishankar highlighted the major corridors on which India is currently working.

"India is today working on major corridors both to its east and west. They include the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) initiative through the Arabian peninsula and the international north-south transport corridor and towards east the trilateral highway in southeast Asia and the Chennai Vladivostok route, which also has polar implications...these corridors when completed will connect the Atlantic to the Pacific through Asia," he said.

Jaishankar further said that India and Japan have converging views on the need for collaborative connectivity.

"Two nations (India and Japan) have converging views about the need for transparent and collaborative connectivity," he said.

Jaishankar also stressed the need to strengthen our defence capabilities.

"As the voice of the global south, India is conscious of the responsibility, our development efforts today span 78 nations across different continents, can India and Japan coordinate in regards to their developmental systems?... Maritime safety and security have become particularly pressing concerns," he said.

(ANI)