India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri signed the condolence book at the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi on Thursday on behalf of the government, marking New Delhi’s first official response after an airstrike killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The airstrike, carried out earlier this week, resulted in Khamenei’s death and has intensified tensions in the region, drawing global attention and prompting condolences from several countries.
Amid rising fears of a wider conflict in West Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a “swift end” to hostilities, stressing that “no issue can be resolved through military confrontation.”
He made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as military operations by the United States and Israel in Iran entered their sixth day, with both sides carrying out fresh strikes. The situation has significantly escalated tensions across the Middle East.
PM Modi calls for swift end to West Asia conflict
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, reported PTI.
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, according to PTI.
“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.
“Be it Ukraine or West Asia, we will continue to support the swift end of conflicts and every effort towards peace,” he added. (With Agency Inputs)
