IOR Ministers in Mauritius, for conference overshadowed this year by the US-Israel war with Iran and peace talks
India firmly opposes the “targeting of civilians and infrastructure” as well as the disruption of navigation due to the war in West Asia, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, inaugurating the 9th Indian Ocean Conference in Port Louis, which was over shadowed by the conflict and prospects for talks due to begin in Islamabad on Saturday (April 11, 2026).
Mr. Jaishankar, who was in Mauritius for a two-day visit before leaving for the United Arab Emirates on Friday (April 10, 2026) night, met with many leaders from the region, including the leadership of Mauritius, and his counterparts from Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Seychelles, and other officials from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and other Gulf countries present at the conference. Many delegates cancelled their attendance due to the conflict and travel disruptions. No delegate attended from the Maldives, as Mauritius and Maldives have suspended diplomatic ties over territorial differences over the Chagos Islands.
“All of us are deeply concerned about the conflict and would like to see an early return to normalcy,” said Mr. Jaishankar, addressing the conference that included hundreds of delegates from various countries abutting the Indian Ocean. “We firmly oppose the targeting of civilians, of infrastructure and of commercial shipping, it is essential that navigation remains safe and unimpeded,” he said, speaking about the direct economic impact of the conflict on energy, trade, fertilizers that had “overarching implications” for all societies in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Earlier, Mr. Jaishankar, who met with Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool, and former Mauritius Prime Minister and opposition leader Pravind Jugnauth, said India was “finalising” an agreement for the supply of oil and gas to Mauritius to strengthen its energy security amid the West Asia crisis.
“The two-week ceasefire that has been reached is still a fragile ceasefire. We must not allow ourselves to be lulled into complacency. We should all work together for a peaceful and permanent resolution of the crisis,” said Mauritius PM Naveen Ramgoolam, speaking at the event.
Mr. Jaishankar also held his first meeting with Nepal Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, who is part of the newly sworn in government headed by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, and met with Bhutan’s Foreign Minister D.N. Dhungyel and Seychelles Foreign Minister Barry Faure ahead of the conference and is understood to have discussed the current energy shortages and how India can help with each of them.
The strongest words at the event came from Oman Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, who appeared via video link, and cancelled his visit to Mauritius due to travel disruptions and the start of talks between U.S. and Iran officials in Pakistan. In a speech, he called the U.S. and Israel’s “initiation” of the conflict on February 28 “deplorable” and slammed the U.S.’s torpedoing of the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean. He also criticised Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We must prevent the Indian Ocean from becoming a point of conflict, hostility or zero sum competition,” Mr. Al Busaidi, who was the mediator between U.S. and Iran when the U.S. and Israel began the conflict, said, adding: “Amid growing fragmentation in the global order, we must speak up in favour of justice when such rules are violated.”
Bangladesh’s new Foreign Minister Khalil Ur Rahman, who had visited Delhi and held talks with Mr. Jaishankar and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri before proceeding to the conference, said that “collective action” was needed to deal with the crisis, and called for “revitalising SAARC”, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation as well as other regional organisations.
Firmly oppose the targeting of civilians and infrastructure in West Asia conflict, says Jaishankar
IOR Ministers in Mauritius, for conference overshadowed this year by the US-Israel war with Iran and peace talks
India firmly opposes the “targeting of civilians and infrastructure” as well as the disruption of navigation due to the war in West Asia, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, inaugurating the 9th Indian Ocean Conference in Port Louis, which was over shadowed by the conflict and prospects for talks due to begin in Islamabad on Saturday (April 11, 2026).
Mr. Jaishankar, who was in Mauritius for a two-day visit before leaving for the United Arab Emirates on Friday (April 10, 2026) night, met with many leaders from the region, including the leadership of Mauritius, and his counterparts from Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Seychelles, and other officials from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and other Gulf countries present at the conference. Many delegates cancelled their attendance due to the conflict and travel disruptions. No delegate attended from the Maldives, as Mauritius and Maldives have suspended diplomatic ties over territorial differences over the Chagos Islands.
“All of us are deeply concerned about the conflict and would like to see an early return to normalcy,” said Mr. Jaishankar, addressing the conference that included hundreds of delegates from various countries abutting the Indian Ocean. “We firmly oppose the targeting of civilians, of infrastructure and of commercial shipping, it is essential that navigation remains safe and unimpeded,” he said, speaking about the direct economic impact of the conflict on energy, trade, fertilizers that had “overarching implications” for all societies in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Earlier, Mr. Jaishankar, who met with Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool, and former Mauritius Prime Minister and opposition leader Pravind Jugnauth, said India was “finalising” an agreement for the supply of oil and gas to Mauritius to strengthen its energy security amid the West Asia crisis.
“The two-week ceasefire that has been reached is still a fragile ceasefire. We must not allow ourselves to be lulled into complacency. We should all work together for a peaceful and permanent resolution of the crisis,” said Mauritius PM Naveen Ramgoolam, speaking at the event.
Mr. Jaishankar also held his first meeting with Nepal Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, who is part of the newly sworn in government headed by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, and met with Bhutan’s Foreign Minister D.N. Dhungyel and Seychelles Foreign Minister Barry Faure ahead of the conference and is understood to have discussed the current energy shortages and how India can help with each of them.
The strongest words at the event came from Oman Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, who appeared via video link, and cancelled his visit to Mauritius due to travel disruptions and the start of talks between U.S. and Iran officials in Pakistan. In a speech, he called the U.S. and Israel’s “initiation” of the conflict on February 28 “deplorable” and slammed the U.S.’s torpedoing of the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean. He also criticised Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We must prevent the Indian Ocean from becoming a point of conflict, hostility or zero sum competition,” Mr. Al Busaidi, who was the mediator between U.S. and Iran when the U.S. and Israel began the conflict, said, adding: “Amid growing fragmentation in the global order, we must speak up in favour of justice when such rules are violated.”
Bangladesh’s new Foreign Minister Khalil Ur Rahman, who had visited Delhi and held talks with Mr. Jaishankar and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri before proceeding to the conference, said that “collective action” was needed to deal with the crisis, and called for “revitalising SAARC”, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation as well as other regional organisations.
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