What happened?
During the ongoing Israel-Gaza ceasefire, India has reignited diplomatic efforts to advance the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar discussed the project during his recent visit to UAE from January 27-29, 2025.
Why it matters to India:
The IMEC aims to create a trade route from India, the Middle East, and Europe, enhancing trade and infrastructure. Despite a delay due to the Israel-Gaza conflict, India views IMEC as vital for long-term strategic influence. A successful implementation could bolster India’s role in reshaping regional supply chains, enhancing energy security, and fostering alliances with key partners like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The conflict in Gaza had stalled IMEC’s progress by disrupting Israel-Arab normalisation efforts critical to the corridor’s northern route, heightening security risks at key ports like Haifa, and diverting diplomatic focus to ceasefire negotiations over infrastructure planning.