At G7 summit, Modi calls for safe maritime routes, protection for seafarers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for the protection of seafarers and the security of maritime trade routes during an outreach session at the G7 summit in France, where he addressed leaders including United States President Donald Trump, who was seated beside him.

The G7 summit brings together the heads of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

“We welcome the progress made in peace efforts in West Asia,” Modi said. “This conflict has caused loss of life and property in our friendly countries in West Asia.”

Modi said disruptions to maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz had affected the global economy and that many Indian civilians had lost their lives.

“The safety of seafarers, who connect all nations through global maritime trade, is our responsibility,” he added. “We must ensure that sea routes remain safe, and seafarers can carry out their work without fear.”

Modi made the remarks in the backdrop of a series of attacks by US forces on vessels in West Asia on which Indian seafarers had been travelling.

On June 10, three Indian seafarers were killed when the US military struck a Palau-flagged commercial tanker off the coast of Oman. Twenty-one members of the crew had been rescued.

A day later, 20 Indian seafarers on board another ship were...

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