Middle East an extended neighborhood: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has highlighted the expansion of engagement between India and Middle East in the past decade.

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He said that India considers Middle East an "extended neighbourhood" with which it has now re-connected in full measure.

In his address at the inaugural session of Raisina Middle East in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Jaishankar stressed that the partnership between India and Middle East holds "special importance" in a changing world. He said that India sees Middle East as a close partner and a crucial passage to the world beyond.

Jaishankar said, "An India with wider interests and growing capabilities today contemplates the world with confidence. We certainly recognize the risks, but we are equally cognizant of the opportunities. For us, the Middle East is an extended neighbourhood with which we have now re-connected in full measure. It is a crucial passage to the world beyond, whether we speak of Africa or the Atlantic. It is about partners with whom we have traditions and comfort. What is needed most at this time is a deepening of our engagement, a prospect made possible today by more conversations and frequent exchanges."