National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday voiced concern over the worsening security situation in West Asia, warning that disruptions to key maritime routes and energy infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for the global economy.
Speaking at the 1st International Security Forum and the XIV International Meeting of High-Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters in Moscow, Doval said the continuing instability in the region underlined the need to safeguard international trade routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Doval’s remarks come as tensions in West Asia continue to cast a shadow over global energy markets and shipping routes. Any disruption in critical waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz is closely watched by India, which depends heavily on imported energy and sea-borne trade.
“The conflict in West Asia needs a very special mention. The ongoing tensions in the region continue to raise very serious concerns. Risk to maritime traffic and disruptions to energy infrastructures show how fragile the contemporary situation is,” Doval said.
He stressed that uninterrupted commercial movement through international waterways was critical to global economic stability.
“Safe and uninterrupted movement of international trade through international waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, is essential for the global economy. India stands ready to contribute constructively to support all efforts to reduce tensions and help restore stability,” he added.
Doval calls for urgent reforms in United Nations
Alongside regional security concerns, Doval also made a strong case for restructuring global institutions, arguing that many of the mechanisms created after the Second World War were struggling to respond effectively to modern challenges.
“The United Nations is facing a very serious crisis. The structured institutions of 1945 are increasingly proving to be incapable of addressing the security challenges that the world is facing; therefore, there is an urgent need for reform in the United Nations to make it more representative,” he said.
He further emphasised that reforms should ensure greater representation for countries of the Global South and give adequate weight to their interests and perspectives.
His comments echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent call for reforms in global institutions. During a joint press interaction with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides last week, PM Modi said reforming international institutions had become essential to address growing global challenges and ongoing conflicts.
India and Russia review defence, security cooperation
On the sidelines of the security forum, Doval held talks with Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
According to officials, the two sides reviewed ongoing cooperation in defence, security, energy and economic sectors. They also exchanged views on the upcoming BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi.
In a post on X, the Indian Embassy in Russia said Doval and Shoigu reviewed bilateral cooperation and discussed preparations for the forthcoming BRICS security meeting.
‘No double standards in fight against terrorism’
Addressing broader security concerns, Doval said there could be no selective approach towards terrorism and called on countries to take a principled stand against those supporting terror networks.
There can be “no double standards in the fight against terrorism”, said Doval, adding that responsible states are “obliged to weigh their positions and decide whether to support sponsors of terrorism or to counter them with decisive actions.”
His remarks come against the backdrop of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the attack.
The International Security Forum and the XIV International Meeting of High-Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters are being held in Moscow from May 26 to 29. According to an official release, the event has drawn more than 140 delegations from countries and international organisations, including national security advisers, security council secretaries, intelligence chiefs and senior law enforcement officials.