The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari released the “Delhi Policy Group – IDSA Report on West Asia” at a function here today. Addressing on the occasion, the Vice President said that this Report on West Asia is an excellent beginning but we have to go a way beyond this. We have very old social, economic, geographical, cultural and political relations with West Asian countries. One more thing should have been included in this Report as to why the West Asia is in its present situation. We have our interest in the stability in West Asia as we have our large workforce working in these countries. He hoped that this Report will be found useful by the strategic community. He congratulated Delhi Policy Group and the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) for their valuable effort.
The Delhi Policy Group and the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) had set up a Joint Task Force on Indian Policy towards the ongoing transitions in West Asia last year. The Task Force Report has been edited by Ambassador Arundhati Ghose and has brought together eminent analysts such as Ambassador Ishrat Aziz, Pramit Pal Chaudharyu and Meena Singh Roy. It has argued that India needs to craft a “Look West Asia” policy to protect its many engagements in the region, from Energy to Indian Diaspora.