G20 Summit: US, India, UAE, Saudi to finalise Middle-East shipping, railway deal

[NG Missile Vessels]

India, the US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Europe are set to unveil an unprecedented and groundbreaking infrastructure initiative of a railway and shipping corridor that will enhance commerce, energy and digital connectivity on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit, US principal deputy national security advisor Jon Finer has said.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday morning, Finer said that the project will fill a major infrastructure gap and will be “high-standards, transparent, sustainable, non-coercive” and based on the demand signal from the region instead of being an imposition, drawing an indirect but sharp contrast with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

BRI is widely criticised for locking countries into unsustainable debts, being non-transparent, coercive, and compromising standards.

Finer said that the initiative fits in with the Joe Biden administration’s larger strategy in West Asia.

Laying out the strategic case for the project, he said that there was first a “value proposition” of a corridor linking three regions of the world as it would enhance prosperity.

Second, it filled a broader infrastructure gap in low and middle-income countries, with the US doing what it can with partners and allies to fill the gap. Third, he said that for the Middle East, “which has been a net exporter of turbulence and insecurity,” the project was a major opportunity in line with the American efforts to “reduce the temperature and enhance connectivity”.

While the project has not been implemented under the I2U2 framework (which includes India, Israel, UAE, and US), most likely because the efforts at normalisation between Israel and Saudi are still a work in progress, officials believe that Israel will be an obvious partner in the project if and when there are formal diplomatic ties between Tel Aviv and Riyadh. On a question on Israel’s participation, Finer said he will let countries speak for themselves.

“We have an approach focused on turning the temperature down, de-escalating conflicts underway in the region, and incentivising stability and connectivity in the region. The railway and shipping project is wholly in line with that,” Finer said.

Asked about the contrast with BRI, Finer claimed that while he understood the appeal of that narrative, the US saw the infra project as a “positive affirmative agenda” that had appeal in countries.

"This is not zero-sum, we are not asking countries to make zero-sum choices, it is a high-value proposition,” he said. But, he added that other efforts were not as “ambitious, high standard, and transparent” and were “more coercive” in nature. “We feel good about the contrast,” added Finer.

India, US, UAE, Saudi, Europe to launch unprecedented infra project: US official

While the project has not been implemented under the I2U2 framework (which includes India, Israel, UAE, and US), most likely because the efforts at normalisation between Israel and Saudi is still work in progress, officials believe that Israel will be an obvious partner

www.google.com

G20 Summit: US, India, UAE, Saudi to finalise Middle-East shipping, railway deal

The project first came into spotlight in May after top national security officials from the four countries met in Saudi Arabia to discuss the deal.

www.google.com

 

[Paji]

What is the proposed route for the corridor? Will it bypass Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan?

 

[Menthol]

What is the proposed route for the corridor? Will it bypass Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan?

You mean railway and highway from India to Israel?

Can it?

 

[CallSignMaverick]

You mean railway and highway from India to Israel?

Can it?

Shipping lanes and railway

 

[Menthol]

The deal is just an empty statement.

You can build by yourself if you want and not.

Basically, even if there's a deal or not, it doesn't matter.

Shipping lanes and railway

For railway, I think it's not possible.

In the past, some Indians said India and Pakistan are not friendly to each other.

They won't build any road or railway to connect both of the countries.

Imagine if the railway is part of the network to connect all Muslims countries to India, definitely it's not possible.


I prefer India to build highway and railway to connect India to SE Asia's highway and railway network, up to China.

It's more realistic and possible.

 

[Rajput of Bihar]

All fluff and no content. Kahan India , kahane uae aur kahane USA.

 

[CallSignMaverick]

The deal is just an empty statement.

You can build by yourself if you want and not.

Basically, even if there's a deal or not, it doesn't matter.



For railway, I think it's not possible.

In the past, some Indians said India and Pakistan are not friendly to each other.

They won't build any road or railway to connect both of the countries.

Imagine if the railway is part of the network to connect all Muslims countries to India, definitely it's not possible.


I prefer India to build highway and railway to connect India to SE Asia's highway and railway network, up to China.

It's more realistic and possible.

The rail lines will start/end in UAE, from there shipping lines will start for India. Pakistan and Afghanistan aren't even involved.

 

[Paji]

Seems like it is meant to be an alternative to the Suez canal to link India with Europe. Shipping lane from Surat to UAE. Then a train through the Arabian peninsula upto Israel and then by sea to Greece and beyond.

 

[Sinnerman108]

where is the map now...

 

[NG Missile Vessels]

where is the map now...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700481572896645354

 

[mmr]

railway through sea lolz

Shopping lane already exists

 

[NG Missile Vessels]

‘Real big deal’: Seven reasons why the India-Middle East-Europe corridor could chart bold new course in changing world

The announcement of a multimodal transport and energy corridor between India and Europe via the Middle East today at the G20 summit marks a breakthrough in post-Partition India’s quest for deeper connectivity with the regions to the north-west of the Subcontinent.

Long anxious about China’s connectivity projects in the region under its decade-old Belt and Road Initiative, frustrated by Pakistan’s refusal to allow overland access and a futile quest for credible connectivity through Iran into the Eurasian landmass, India has finally found a formula to connect to both Arabia and Europa.

The idea of ship and rail connectivity between India and the Arabian peninsula came up when National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his US counterpart Jake Sullivan in May this year. Since then, the idea has acquired much traction a lot faster than anticipated. The presence of all the key actors in New Delhi for the G20 summit, including the European Union, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, provided the opportunity to unveil the formal framework for pursuing this transformative project.

The project would involve the building of a railway line across the Arabian Peninsula through the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and develop shipping connectivity to India and Europe on either end of this corridor.

The corridor could be further developed to transport energy through pipelines and data through an optical fibre link. The project could include other nations like Israel when Riyadh and Tel Aviv establish normal relations.

The project underlines several new geopolitical trends.

First, just a few years ago, the conventional wisdom in Delhi said India and the United States might work together in the Indo-Pacific but had little in common in the Middle East. That myth was broken when India and the United States joined hands with Israel and the United Arab Emirates to set up the I2U2 forum to develop a few joint economic projects. The India-Arabia-Europa corridor could turn out to be far more consequential.

Second, it breaks Pakistan’s veto over India’s overland connectivity to the West. Since the 1990s, Delhi has sought various trans-regional connectivity projects with Pakistan. But Islamabad was adamant in its refusal to let India gain access to land-locked Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Third, Tehran is more open to India, but its confrontation with the West has cast a shadow over the commercial utility of corridors across Iran into Eurasia.

Fourth, the corridor will deepen India’s strategic engagement with the Arabian peninsula. The Modi government, which had rapidly elevated political and strategic links with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in the last few years, now has an opportunity to build enduring connectivity between India and Arabia.

During the years of the British Raj, the subcontinent’s resources played a key role in linking India, Arabia, and Europa. The current project will restore India’s role as a driver in shaping regional connectivity.

Fifth, the mega connectivity project could, in the words of US officials, help “bring down’ the political temperature in the Arabian peninsula by promoting intra-regional connectivity. “Infrastructure for peace” has long been an alluring but elusive goal for the Middle East. It remains to be seen if the current corridor will break that jinx.

Sixth, it is no secret that the new corridor is being presented as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which a number of countries in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa have embraced. A lot would depend on the speed at which the new corridor is implemented and its ability to avoid the problem of sustainability — financial as well as ecological — associated with the BRI.

Seventh, the corridor also marks the mobilisation of Europe into the infrastructure development in the region. The European Union had earmarked 300 million Euros for infrastructure spending worldwide during 2021-27. Its support for the new corridor will make the EU a major stakeholder in integrating India with Arabia and Europa.

Finally, the US and the EU have envisaged a plan to build a Trans-African corridor connecting Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia. India, which has stepped up its engagement with Africa in general and especially with countries trying on the Indian Ocean coast, would want to team up with the US and EU in Africa.

‘Real big deal’: Seven reasons why the India-Middle East-Europe corridor could chart bold new course in changing world

Challenging Chinese Belt and Road clout in the region, the transport and energy corridor builds on strategic and economic synergies, marks breakthrough in post-Partition India's quest for connectivity with the world to the north-west.

www.google.com

 

[hussain0216]

So you take it to a port in India
Load it onto a ship

Onload it onto trains in UAE to travel across multiple countries to Israel, where it reloaded onto a ship

Then taken to Greece, to unload back onto trains/trucks



Unless the suez is blocked, what's the point?

 

[mmr]

So you take it to a port in India
Load it onto a ship

Onload it onto trains in UAE to travel across multiple countries to Israel, where it reloaded onto a ship

Then taken to Greece, to unload back onto trains/trucks



Unless the suez is blocked, what's the point?

It’s a dumb *** project that’s why lolz

Any one with common sense can tell this will definitely not save money on transportation and commercially not viable

 

[migflug]

So you take it to a port in India
Load it onto a ship

Onload it onto trains in UAE to travel across multiple countries to Israel, where it reloaded onto a ship

Then taken to Greece, to unload back onto trains/trucks



Unless the suez is blocked, what's the point?

Depends on the the time vs cost equation. If the goods transported quicker can be more profitable than a cheaper sea route but time consuming via Suez, then the trade would make sense. Also, it provides an alternate route bypassing the Suez, which can come in handy if the Canal is blocked through various means. Also, since the rote is mostly desert and funded by the GCC(Gulf Railway), it may be financially feasible!!

India is participating in a similar land-road-sea route to Russia via Iran. This too will provide the strategic autonomy to Russia while having a faster route: The North South Transport Corridor!!