New Delhi: India on Wednesday sought to dispel the
notion that it was not adequately represented at discussions
on West Asia in the international fora.
Replying to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha, Minister of
State for External Affairs E Ahamed said India's
representative in Ramallah is involved in all the discussions.
"But at the very same time, we do not interfere in their
domestic and internal matters," he said replying to a question
put by Congress member Shashi Tharoor.
Ahamed said within this framework India has been attending
to meetings wherever it is necessary.
"As a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security
Council, we closely co-ordinate with other members to ensure
peaceful solutions to problems in the region," he said.
"We have long standing close relations with countries in
the Middle-Eastern region dating back to millennia. We accord
the highest priority to peace and harmony in the region,"
Ahamed said.
He said West Asia was extremely important from the point
of view of trade and investment, including energy security.
Tharoor had said there was a perception that India does
not engage with the high-enough level with these countries on
strategic issues and were absent at the UN quartet discussions
on the policy in West Asia.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 07, 2011, 18:07