With West Asia on the brink of a wider regional war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for a “swift end” to the escalating conflict in the region saying no issue can be resolved through military confrontation.
Modi’s remarks following his wide-ranging talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb came as the United States and Israel’s war with Iran entered the sixth day with both sides launching fresh strikes, significantly heightening tensions across the region.
Stubb strongly backed India’s bid for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council, arguing that it is of “utmost importance” along with larger reform of the global multilateral system to reflect the current geopolitical realities.
In his media statement, Modi said the India-Finland relationship in the digitalisation and sustainability is being given the shape of a strategic partnership that will energise cooperation in many high-technology areas including AI, 6G telecom, clean energy and quantum computing.
The two sides also agreed to deepen cooperation in key sectors such as defence, space, semiconductors, and critical minerals.
The crisis in West Asia figured prominently in the Modi-Stubb talks.
“India and Finland, both, believe in the rule of law, dialogue, and diplomacy. We are in agreement that no issue can be resolved through military conflict alone,” the prime minister said.