Mumbai/New Delhi | External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in Mumbai on Tuesday in a trilateral format to discuss regional energy security and advance shared economic priorities.
While Rubio arrived in the city on Tuesday afternoon, Al Nahyan began his two-day visit to India on Monday evening.
"It was great to meet with Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar and UAE Foreign Minister @ABZayed to discuss regional energy security and advance our shared economic priorities," the top US diplomat said on social media.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar described it as a "useful exchange of perspectives on energy, connectivity and contemporary developments."
It is learnt that the three foreign ministers also extensively discussed the overall security situation in West Asia as well as the economic fallout of the continuing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Global oil supplies have suffered severe disruptions following Iran's blockade of the Strait -- considered the world's most critical energy chokepoint through which roughly 20 per cent of global petroleum flows.
There has been a sudden escalation in tensions in West Asia, especially after the Houthis carried out several strikes on Saudi Arabia.
India has been voicing serious concern over the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia's civilian infrastructure and economic assets, cautioning that such strikes undermine regional stability and threaten freedom of navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
The Iran-backed Houthi militant group had attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, which is considered very crucial for the supply of crude oil.
Ever since the conflict involving Iran disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the East-West pipeline has served as a critical bypass for Saudi Arabia's oil exports.
The Houthi attacks have also triggered concerns over the safety of the Bab-el-Mandeb shipping lane.
The Bab-el-Mandeb is one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints, located between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
