External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the East Asia Summit in Manila that international waterways must stay safe and unimpeded. He urged dialogue to address conflicts in the Persian Gulf and Myanmar.
Speaking on July 23 at the 21st East Asia Summit, Mr. Jaishankar said attacks on seafarers, civilian shipping or infrastructure cannot be countenanced. He described the global order as uncertain and volatile and called for a legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that complies with UNCLOS 1982.
India will host an EAS maritime security conference in Kochi and a Maritime Heritage Festival in Lothal this year. Mr. Jaishankar also backed ASEAN efforts for a political solution in Myanmar and repeated India’s zero tolerance for terrorism.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected remarks by Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar on Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty as baseless. It noted that the treaty has been in abeyance since a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 20, 2025.
