India’s foreign ministry confirmed that it has had communications regarding the US-led naval task force in the Red Sea, which has been set up to combat the threat to global shipping from Yemen’s Houthi militants.
“We have a vested interest and have been supportive of the free movement of commercial shipping. That is something we’re interested in. We are of course monitoring developments there,” said MEA official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
“I think there was some communication regarding this task force but I would have to get back to you regarding any specific development regarding this issue,” said Bagchi.
The US had led efforts to constitute a 10-nation task force to combat the threat from Houthis, who have launched attacks on shipping vessels entering the Red Sea. The Houthis seek to punish Israel for its military campaign in Gaza. This has endangered a vital artery of global trade, with major shipping firms indicating that they will avoid the route due to the Houthi attacks.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin had announced Operation Prosperity Guardian under the aegis of the Combined Maritime Force(CMF), a multinational naval coalition.
“Operation Prosperity Guardian is bringing together multiple countries to include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity,” Austin announced.
India began formal cooperation with the CMF in 2022 and was invited to send a naval officer to its headquarters in Bahrain. India also has naval vessels in the region.
The CMF has 39 countries in its coalition and works together on anti-piracy, counter terrorism and build a stable maritime environment.
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Published: 21 Dec 2023, 07:25 PM IST
