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India should play larger role in Middle East:Bahrain
Indrani Bagchi, TNN | Aug 24, 2012, 10.16PM IST
Article
Arab countries want India to play a larger role in maintaining peace and security in their region, particularly they want India to influence Iranian outlook.
NEW DELHI: Gulf Arab countries want India to play a larger role in maintaining peace and security in their region. In particular, they want India to influence Iranian outlook and behaviour.
Speaking to TOI, ambassador of Bahrain, Mohammed Ghassan Shaikho, said, "India has strong strategic interests in our region. Apart from energy supplies, there are six million expatriate Indians living and working in Gulf countries, sending back remittances of more than $40 billion. Bilateral trade between India and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries is over $160 billion."
As India and Bahrain prepare to travel to Iran for the 16th NAM summit next week, Shaikho said India, as a founder member of NAM, should take the lead in giving the grouping a new political vision. This vision, according to him, should be centred on two main principles — "good working relations between neighbours and non-interference in internal affairs of other states." "We must recognize the importance of regional groups to deal with regional problems," he said.
The Gulf concerns come amid reports that the NAM summit will focus on the Syrian crisis, and the Middle East unrest. Shaikho said NAM should focus on more global problems. "The international environment is conducive to cooperation and achieving the goals and missions of third world countries. We need to cooperate with the UN and lend our might to solving the problems of global warming and technology," he said.
After the agitation and unrest in Bahrain earlier this year, when Saudi Arabia sent troops to help the government crack down on the Shia protests, Shaikho said an inquiry commission had been set up, which gave a report critical of Bahrain's Sunni authorities. Bahrain had blamed Iran for stoking the protests and had withdrawn its ambassador to Tehran.
Bahrain has a Sunni minority ruling over Shia majority.
India should play larger role in Middle East: Bahrain - The Times of India
Indrani Bagchi, TNN | Aug 24, 2012, 10.16PM IST
Article
Arab countries want India to play a larger role in maintaining peace and security in their region, particularly they want India to influence Iranian outlook.
NEW DELHI: Gulf Arab countries want India to play a larger role in maintaining peace and security in their region. In particular, they want India to influence Iranian outlook and behaviour.
Speaking to TOI, ambassador of Bahrain, Mohammed Ghassan Shaikho, said, "India has strong strategic interests in our region. Apart from energy supplies, there are six million expatriate Indians living and working in Gulf countries, sending back remittances of more than $40 billion. Bilateral trade between India and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries is over $160 billion."
As India and Bahrain prepare to travel to Iran for the 16th NAM summit next week, Shaikho said India, as a founder member of NAM, should take the lead in giving the grouping a new political vision. This vision, according to him, should be centred on two main principles — "good working relations between neighbours and non-interference in internal affairs of other states." "We must recognize the importance of regional groups to deal with regional problems," he said.
The Gulf concerns come amid reports that the NAM summit will focus on the Syrian crisis, and the Middle East unrest. Shaikho said NAM should focus on more global problems. "The international environment is conducive to cooperation and achieving the goals and missions of third world countries. We need to cooperate with the UN and lend our might to solving the problems of global warming and technology," he said.
After the agitation and unrest in Bahrain earlier this year, when Saudi Arabia sent troops to help the government crack down on the Shia protests, Shaikho said an inquiry commission had been set up, which gave a report critical of Bahrain's Sunni authorities. Bahrain had blamed Iran for stoking the protests and had withdrawn its ambassador to Tehran.
Bahrain has a Sunni minority ruling over Shia majority.
India should play larger role in Middle East: Bahrain - The Times of India
