New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday night spoke to the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and strongly condemned the attacks on the Gulf nation, saying India stands in solidarity with the UAE in these difficult times.
Modi also thanked the UAE President for taking care of the Indian community living in the Gulf nation, and said New Delhi supports de-escalation, regional peace, security and stability.
“Spoke with President of the UAE, my brother Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Thanked him for taking care of the Indian community living in the UAE. We support de-escalation, regional peace, security and stability,” Modi wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister was scheduled to chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the highest decision-making body on security and strategic matters of the country, in Delhi on Sunday night, government sources said.
The meeting is understood to have been convened in the wake of the prevailing West Asia situation following the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel and the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The meeting is likely to discuss the safety of Indian nationals who live in West Asia and also those who are stranded, and how to deal with the situation if it deteriorates, the sources said.
The Prime Minister heads the CCS, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are its members. A few top officials are also usually invited to the CCS meeting.
With flight services disrupted due to the military escalation in West Asia, hundreds of Indians are stranded in Dubai and other key hub airports. There are around 10,000 Indian citizens who live, study and work in Iran, while over 40,000 live in Israel.
The number of Indians who live in the Gulf and West Asia is about nine million.
India has in the past successfully evacuated thousands of Indians from different parts of the world, including West Asia, amidst conflicts.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Indian missions across the region are in continuous contact with nationals, and helplines have been activated.
The CCS meeting may also take stock of the situation arising out of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is a major shipping route for Indian ships like bulk oil carriers, by the Iranian authorities, sources said.
