New Delhi, March 7 : External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Saturday stated that India's rise would benefit the Indian Ocean region, describing it as "a lifting tide", emphasising the strategic significance of the wider region.

Speaking alongside Seychelles Foreign Minister Barry Faure and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath during the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on 'Heart of the Seas: Future of the Indian Ocean', EAM said, "I do want the rest of the Indian Ocean to appreciate that India, in a way, India's rise is a lifting tide. With our growth, other countries of the Indian Ocean stand to benefit. Those who work with us, obviously, will get more benefits. And in a way, it's a trend."

"I'm not saying there are no challenges to India's rise; there are. But the direction of India's rise, I think, is very clear. In a way, it's unstoppable. The rise of countries is determined by the countries. The rise of India will be determined by India. It will be determined by our strength, not by the mistakes of others," he added.

EAM highlighted India's efforts to rebuild connectivity through initiatives like India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the International North-South Transport Corridor, aiming to expand the country's trade links across Asia and beyond.

"The Indian Ocean, perhaps much more than many other parts of the world, is in the process of a recovery and a rebuilding. It is individual states that are doing that, but the whole region. In a way, if you look today at the restoration of trade patterns and connectivity, we are trying to rebuild our connectivity towards the east, through Myanmar to Southeast Asia. We are rebuilding our connectivity to the west, through IMEC into the Arabian Peninsula and further through the International North-South Transport Corridor to Iran and through Iran into Eurasia."

Stressing that India has consistently stepped in to support regional partners during difficult periods, EAM Jaishankar cited assistance extended to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis, along with the rapid disaster relief efforts following Cyclone Ditwah in November last year.

"There'll be the good periods when you can plan and do it. There'll be times of stress. Sri Lanka, for example, went through a severe economic crisis. And the fact was, finally, the most substantive and the fastest support really came from India. Recently, they had this, the cyclone, Ditwah; we were there within twenty-four hours," EAM said.

"If we have to build a kind of an Indian Ocean sentiment or spirit or identity, call it what you will, it's not just about broadcasting it or stating it, it's-- it has to be backed up with resources, with work, with commitments, with practical projects so that people know that you are actually serious about it," he noted.

/IANS