International waterways must remain safe and unimpeded: S. Jaishankar

Participating in the 21^st East Asia Summit in Manila, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Thursday (July 23, 2026), that the global maritime channels “must remain safe and unimpeded”.

In the meeting, Mr. Jaishankar also called for dialogue and diplomacy in dealing with the crisis in the Persian Gulf region and for finding a “political solution” to the civil conflict in Myanmar, where Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) have been challenging the authority of the military junta that took power in February 2021.

“Calling for dialogue and diplomacy to end the West Asia/Gulf conflict, India stresses that international waterways must remain safe and unimpeded, fully in consonance with international law. Under no circumstances can attacks on seafarers, civilian shipping or infrastructure be countenanced,” said Mr. Jaishankar. He described the evolving condition of the global order as “uncertain and volatile”.

He said India will be hosting two specific East Asia Summit activities in the current year – the seventh EAS conference on maritime security cooperation in Kochi and an EAS Maritime Heritage Festival in the ancient port city of Lothal. He informed the summit of the Indian position on South China Sea and said that India supports the “conclusion of a substantive, effective and legally binding Code of Conduct (CoC) fully compliant with UNCLOS 1982 that does not prejudice the legitimate rights of all users”. Continuing with the theme, he called for “ASEAN centrality, regional stability, and the realisation of a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific”.

Regional Forum

Regarding the ongoing civil conflict in Myanmar, he expressed India’s support for ASEAN efforts to resolving the situation. “India stands for finding a political solution to the Myanmar issue,” said Mr. Jaishankar who also spoke at the 33^rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). He reiterated India’s policy on “zero tolerance for terrorism” and said there should not be any doubt that “acts of terrorism will have consequences”. He also said that “collective action against cyberscam centres” should be prioritised as these scam centres have been defrauding citizens of multiple countries. “The world economy is today reeling under the impact of multiple conflicts; energy, food and health security cannot be taken for granted, especially by the Global South,” said Mr. Jaishankar. On the Israel-Palestine crisis, he reiterated India’s position and said “a two-state solution can lead to a lasting and durable peace.”

Pak. remarks on Indus Waters Treaty

The Ministry of External Affairs separately responded to Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s remarks on Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) at the ARF, saying that the comments were “baseless and unwarranted”.

“It is no surprise that a multilateral forum has once again been cynically exploited by Pakistan to amplify falsehoods, peddle state-sponsored disinformation, and divert attention from its own well-documented record of sponsoring cross-border terrorism,” said the Ministry’s Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Earlier, Mr. Dar had said “… lasting peace in South Asia lies in the just resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council. Mr. Dar further said that “upholding the Indus Waters Treaty” is a “cornerstone of regional peace and stability”.

India has placed the IWT in “abeyance” since the April 20, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam.