India has not just mainstreamed the expression “Indo-Pacific”, but has also encouraged others to perceive and define the region in its full extent, said Foreign Secretary Harsh V. Shringla on Tuesday.
In a recorded message to the ‘India-France-Japan Workshop on the Indo-Pacific’, organised by the Observer Research Foundation, Mr. Shringla said it was an indisputable fact that the Indo-Pacific is the 21st century’s locus of political and security concerns and competition, of growth and development, and of technology incubation and innovation.
“India, France and Japan are leading stakeholders in the region and with other like-minded countries, it is upon us to ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains peaceful and open, taking into account needs and concerns of all its inhabitants,” Mr. Shringla said.
Referring to the SAGAR — Security and Growth for All in the Region — doctrine advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, Mr. Shringla said this aspiration depends on “securing end-to-end supply chains in the region; no disproportionate dependence on a single country; and ensuring prosperity for all stakeholder nations.”