India's maritime security meet at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) saw robust support from Russia and the African continent.

Russia was represented by President Vladimir Putin showcasing&nbsp;Moscow's support for New Delhi at the high table.&nbsp;Lauding the Indian initiative, Putin said, "Your initiative is in line with the constructive role that India has traditionally played in the international arena, thus contributing to the promotion of multifaceted, mutually beneficial and equitable cooperation."

Russian President Putin participated&nbsp;in UNSC meet after 16 years. Putin had participated earlier in September of 2005 and in September 2000.

Russia is a permanent veto-holding member of the United Nations Security Council and has&nbsp;had&nbsp;regular consolations with India for coordination at the Council.&nbsp;

During the meet, the&nbsp;Russian president proposed a "establishing a special structure within the UN that would directly address problems related to combatting maritime crime in various regions.". He also expressed his country's interest in building productive cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Indian Ocean Commission.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and&nbsp;Congo president Felix Tshisekedi were both present at the meet.&nbsp;Kenya's president said,"&nbsp;Kenya is an Indian Ocean rim state which means we are part of a region which has countries from the three&nbsp;continents.. piracy remains a threat to shipping in the straits of Malacca, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden."&nbsp;

Congo was present as the chair of the African Union and later Cong's Deputy Prime Minister (FM) spoke at the event to brief the Council.&nbsp;&nbsp;It is interesting to know the PM has sent a personally signed invite to the AU chair inviting the chair to brief the UNSC.&nbsp;

It was the first standalone discussion on “Maritime Security” in UN Security Council (UNSC) and was held under the agenda item “Maintenance of International Peace &amp; Security”.&nbsp;&nbsp;

So far UNSC had taken the subject in limited aspects like maritime piracy and crime. There have been past attempts by countries like Vietnam in April 2021, Equatorial Guinea in February 2019.

During the meet, PM Modi gave five-point principles on maritime security and highlighted India's role as a “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean.

He pointed towards&nbsp;past Indian initiatives like SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and IPOI (Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative).&nbsp;

While PM Modi is the first Indian PM to chair the UNSC meet, in the past PV Narasimha Rao as PM attended a&nbsp;UNSC meeting on January 31, 1992.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee as EAM had attended the UNSC meeting on September 29 1978&nbsp;when he advocated for Namibian independence in the UNSC.

India's maritime security meet at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) saw robust support from Russia and the African continent. Russia was represented by President Vladimir Putin showcasing Moscow's support for New Delhi at the high table.

India's maritime security meet at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) saw robust support from Russia and the African continent. Russia was represented by President Vladimir Putin showcasing Moscow's support for New Delhi at the high table. Lauding the Indian initiative, Putin said, "Your initiative is in line with the constructive role that India has traditionally played in the international arena, thus contributing to the promotion of multifaceted, mutually beneficial and equitable cooperation." Russian President Putin participated in UNSC meet after 16 years. Putin had participated earlier in September of 2005 and in September 2000. Russia is a permanent veto-holding member of the United Nations Security Council and has had regular consolations with India for coordination at the Council. During the meet, the Russian president proposed a "establishing a special structure within the UN that would directly address problems related to combatting maritime crime in various regions.". He also expressed his country's interest in building productive cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Indian Ocean Commission. Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and Congo president Felix Tshisekedi were both present at the meet. Kenya's president said," Kenya is an Indian Ocean rim state which means we are part of a region which has countries from the three continents.. piracy remains a threat to shipping in the straits of Malacca, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden." Congo was present as the chair of the African Union and later Cong's Deputy Prime Minister (FM) spoke at the event to brief the Council. It is interesting to know the PM has sent a personally signed invite to the AU chair inviting the chair to brief the UNSC. It was the first standalone discussion on “Maritime Security” in UN Security Council (UNSC) and was held under the agenda item “Maintenance of International Peace & Security”. So far UNSC had taken the subject in limited aspects like maritime piracy and crime. There have been past attempts by countries like Vietnam in April 2021, Equatorial Guinea in February 2019. During the meet, PM Modi gave five-point principles on maritime security and highlighted India's role as a “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean. He pointed towards past Indian initiatives like SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and IPOI (Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative). While PM Modi is the first Indian PM to chair the UNSC meet, in the past PV Narasimha Rao as PM attended a UNSC meeting on January 31, 1992. Atal Bihari Vajpayee as EAM had attended the UNSC meeting on September 29 1978 when he advocated for Namibian independence in the UNSC.

Russia, Africa show robust support for India's maritime meet at UNSC

It was a big victory for Indian diplomacy on Monday as United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidential statement had the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the key focus and China dropped&nbsp;its hesitations on it.

The UNSC presidential statement was the key outcome of the UNSC meeting on maritime security which was chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Giving primacy to UNCLOS, the first such standalone statement on maritime security, it said, "The Security Council reaffirms that international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 (UNCLOS), sets out the legal framework applicable to activities in the oceans, including countering illicit activities at sea."

China is not seen as very enthusiastic about UNCLOS&nbsp;given it has been seen violating it.&nbsp;UNCLOS which was signed in 1982 and came into effect in 1994 as an international legal framework&nbsp;on maritime activities.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Philippines vs&nbsp;China case rejected the so-called "Nine-Dash Line" as it was contrary to UNCLOS.

The process was not expected to be very smooth with concerns&nbsp;expected from China. However, at the end of the day, its India's diplomacy and bridging role it has been playing at the high table that worked. It has been eight months since India has been a non-permanent member of the UNSC with August being the month of its presidency at the Council.

The meet saw robust participation with two&nbsp;presidents - Russian President Putin and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and&nbsp;Vietnam's new PM Pham Minh Chinh and seven&nbsp;foreign ministers and three&nbsp;ministers.

It is for the first time such high-level participation is seen under any head of government at the Prime minister level.

At the P-5 level, Russian President was present with&nbsp;the foreign minister&nbsp;from France Jean-Yves Le Drian and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the UK at the minister level.

China had sent its deputy envoy to the UN at the meet - Dai Bing but it was because the Chinese envoy to the UN was on a holiday. August is among the months when envoys at the UN are on&nbsp;holiday&nbsp;and as many as seven&nbsp;envoys of various countries are on an off.

It was a big victory for Indian diplomacy on Monday as United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidential statement had the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the key focus and China dropped its hesitations on it.

It was a big victory for Indian diplomacy on Monday as United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidential statement had the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the key focus and China dropped its hesitations on it. The UNSC presidential statement was the key outcome of the UNSC meeting on maritime security which was chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Giving primacy to UNCLOS, the first such standalone statement on maritime security, it said, "The Security Council reaffirms that international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 (UNCLOS), sets out the legal framework applicable to activities in the oceans, including countering illicit activities at sea." China is not seen as very enthusiastic about UNCLOS given it has been seen violating it. UNCLOS which was signed in 1982 and came into effect in 1994 as an international legal framework on maritime activities. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Philippines vs China case rejected the so-called "Nine-Dash Line" as it was contrary to UNCLOS. The process was not expected to be very smooth with concerns expected from China. However, at the end of the day, its India's diplomacy and bridging role it has been playing at the high table that worked. It has been eight months since India has been a non-permanent member of the UNSC with August being the month of its presidency at the Council. The meet saw robust participation with two presidents - Russian President Putin and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vietnam's new PM Pham Minh Chinh and seven foreign ministers and three ministers. It is for the first time such high-level participation is seen under any head of government at the Prime minister level. At the P-5 level, Russian President was present with the foreign minister from France Jean-Yves Le Drian and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the UK at the minister level. China had sent its deputy envoy to the UN at the meet - Dai Bing but it was because the Chinese envoy to the UN was on a holiday. August is among the months when envoys at the UN are on holiday and as many as seven envoys of various countries are on an off.

As India leads from front, China agrees to UN's sea law at UNSC presidential statement

India has called off maritime security dialogue with Pakistan, scheduled for early next week, amid tensions over death sentence being awarded to Kulbhushan Jadhav on charges of spying

A delegation led by Pakistan&#39;s Maritime Security Agency (MSA) was to visit New Delhi April 16-19 to discuss issues related to fishermen and search and rescue operations

Coast Guard sources said the Ministry of Defence has not given clearance for the delegation&#39;s visit

The development comes amid tension between the two countries over Jadhav, a former Indian naval officer, being awarded death sentence by a Pakistani military court

India has said if Jadhav were to be executed, it will be considered as a &quot;premeditated murder&quot;.

(PTI)

A delegation led by Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency (MSA) was to visit New Delhi April 16-19

India has called off maritime security dialogue with Pakistan, scheduled for early next week, amid tensions over death sentence being awarded to Kulbhushan Jadhav on charges of spying A delegation led by Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency (MSA) was to visit New Delhi April 16-19 to discuss issues related to fishermen and search and rescue operations Coast Guard sources said the Ministry of Defence has not given clearance for the delegation's visit The development comes amid tension between the two countries over Jadhav, a former Indian naval officer, being awarded death sentence by a Pakistani military court India has said if Jadhav were to be executed, it will be considered as a "premeditated murder". (PTI)

India calls off maritime security dialogue with Pakistan amid Jadhav death sentence row