PM Modi calls for peace in Eurasia, West Asia; says solutions to problems cannot come from battlefield

Noting that the most negatively affected countries due to ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world are those from the Global South Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for the restoration of peace and stability in regions such as Eurasia and West Asia as soon as possibleAddressing the 19th East Asia Summit Modi said solutions to problems cannot come from the battlefieldHe also said a free open inclusive prosperous and rulesbased IndoPacific is crucial for the peace and progress of the entire regionThe peace security and stability in the South China Sea are in the interest of the entire IndoPacific region Modi stressedldquoWe believe that maritime activities should be conducted in accordance with UNCLOS Ensuring freedom of navigation and airspace is essential A robust and effective Code of Conduct should be developed And it should not impose restrictions on the foreign policies of regional countriesrdquo the prime minister saidldquoOur approach should focus on development and not expansionismrdquo Modi assertedHe noted that the most negatively affected countries due to ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world are those from the Global SouthThere is a collective desire for the restoration of peace and stability in regions such as Eurasia and West Asia as soon as possible he saidldquoI come from the land of Buddha and I have repeatedly stated that this is not the era of war Solutions to problems cannot come from the battlefieldrdquo Modi saidIt is essential to respect sovereignty territorial integrity and international laws he said adding that with a humanitarian perspective ldquowe must place a strong emphasis on dialogue and diplomacyrdquoIn fulfilling its responsibilities as a lsquoVishwabandhursquo India will continue to make every effort to contribute in this direction Modi saidHis remarks came amidst conflicts between Ukraine and Russia in Eurasia and the IsraelHamas war in West AsiaAsserting that terrorism also poses a serious challenge to global peace and security Modi said that to combat it forces that believe in humanity must come together and work in tandemldquoAnd we must strengthen mutual cooperation in the areas of cyber maritime and spacerdquo Modi addedAt the start of his address the prime minister expressed his deep condolences to those affected by Typhoon Yagirdquo a destructive tropical cyclone which impacted Southeast Asia and South China in September this yearldquoDuring this challenging time we have provided humanitarian assistance through Operation Sadbhavrdquo he saidModi also said India has consistently supported the unity and centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEANASEAN is also pivotal to Indias IndoPacific vision and Quad cooperation he saidThere are important similarities between Indiarsquos IndoPacific Oceans Initiative and the ASEAN Outlook on IndoPacificrdquo the prime minister pointed outldquoWe endorse ASEANs approach to the situation in Myanmar and support the FivePoint Consensus Furthermore we believe it is crucial to sustain humanitarian assistance and implement suitable measures for the restoration of democracyrdquo Modi saidldquoWe believe that Myanmar should be engaged rather than isolated in this processrdquo he saidAs a neighbouring country India will continue to uphold its responsibilities he addedIn his remarks Modi also said the revival of Nalanda was a commitment made at the East Asia SummitldquoThis June we fulfilled that commitment by inaugurating the new campus of Nalanda University I invite all the countries present here to participate in the Heads of Higher Education Conclave to be held at Nalandardquo he saidThe prime minister asserted that the East Asia Summit is a key pillar of Indiarsquos Act East PolicyldquoI extend my heartfelt congratulations to Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone for the excellent organisation of todays summit I extend my best wishes to Malaysia as the next Chair and assure them of Indias full support for a successful presidencyrdquo Modi saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever