Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], January 13 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India should take pride in the fact that a significant number of Indians are employed in various businesses globally, including the shipping business.
He also highlighted the ongoing challenges in the Red Sea region where missiles are being fired, causing damage to ships by the Houthi rebels.
The EAM was speaking at the Manthan: Townhall meeting in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on Saturday.
"Right now we are having tensions in the Red Sea area because missiles are being fired and ships are being hit," Jaishankar said at the event.
He highlighted his conversations with global shipping companies, emphasising that a huge number of people employed in the industry are Indians.
"When I met one of the big shipping companies of the world. How many Indians are working with the shipping companies. In fact, the head of the biggest shipping company told me that the number one nationality of employment is India," Jaishankar said.
He added, "We should also take pride today that in the hospitality business, healthcare business, shipping business, Indians are today, willing to take employment to make their contributions. Because for us, wherever they work, it is a plus point for us".
Amid escalating tensions in the Red Sea, the US carried out fresh strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday night (local time), CNN reported. These strikes followed a coordinated attack on approximately 30 Houthi locations the day before.
Earlier on Thursday, US military forces, along with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, successfully carried out strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels.
Earlier on Thursday, Jaishankar also discussed the conflict in Red Sea with US counterpart Antony Blinken.
"The Secretary and External Affairs Minister discussed the United States and India's shared concerns over reckless Houthi attacks in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which threaten the free flow of commerce, endanger innocent mariners, and violate international law," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
The Houthi rebels, who are an Iran-aligned group, started the strikes in retaliation for Israel's Gaza conflict. The Houthis have said that they will not stop attacking until Israel ends the hostilities in Gaza.
Yemen's Houthis have launched several drone and missile attacks at Israel, with most intercepted, since the war started.
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, after thousands of Hamas terrorists crossed the border and killed scores of Israelis.
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