India is of the view that this situation has thrown up short-term challenges which should be managed well for a better future through an appropriate suitable regional architecture, respecting the wishes of the people undergoing changes.

“The turbulence in the region poses short term challenges but also opens up longer term opportunities in terms of our security,” said the National Security Advisor of India Shivshankar Menon while delivering the valedictory address on the concluding day of the three-day 15th Asian Security Conference on ‘Emerging Trends in West Asia: Regional and Global Implications’ organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), here on Friday.

Saying 'there is today no region which impinges on India’s security with as much immediacy as West Asia,' he said : “the issue is how to navigate short-term challenges to arrive at a better future.”

There is “no security architecture in place in the region, but the work is in progress”, he said and added : “we see our role not as a geo-political balancer in the region but as working with partners in the region.”

Touching briefly on India’s historical relations with the Arab world he added that “the strong Indian interest in West Asia (and North Africa) continues to this day”, and that “India’s trade and economic ties with the region of about $ 160 billion are growing, as is our dependence for energy. About 60% of our oil and gas is imported from the region. It is also a factor in our food security as a major source of phosphatic and other fertilizers. Major maritime lines of communication carrying our westward trade and our energy supplies pass through the region. We share common cause with the people of the region in fighting extremism and terrorism.”

Menon said the present challenges in the region include, “the space that domestic changes in several countries have opened up for extremist groups to pursue their agendas”, “the possible regional instability and the sectarian divide that seems to be opening up”, and “the disruptions and dislocations that accompany processes of fundamental change in the way these societies and nations are run.”

The Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi won the presidential elections as a candidate of the extremist party, Muslim Brotherhood in June 24, 2012. On November 30, 2012, the Constituent Assembly of Egypt approved the draft Constitution that boosts the role of Islam and restricts freedom of speech and assembly. On February 3, this year the Opposition has demanded Morsi’s resignation over the continuing public protests.

Menon said that India’s interests lie in peace and security in the region, not stability. “obstructing changes is not a practical approach. right approach is nursing changes in right direction,” he said.

Further, while insisting that India has strongly supported the “democratic aspirations” of the people of West Asia, it has stopped short of supporting the “externally enforced change”, the National Security Advisor said that societies cannot be reordered from the outside through military force. “We only have to look at the instability radiating out of Libya into the Sahel region and the prolonged conflict in Syria, with spillover effects in Mali and the wider region,” he added.

“Demographics, communications, the political role of religion, and cultural factors are all changing rapidly and in ways that affect the politics of West Asia very deeply. But these factors have yet to work themselves out and their implications are still far from clear,” Menon said

Speaking on India’s contribution towards promoting peaceful and balanced strategic environment in West Asia, he said that India has “worked to promote defence cooperation with the countries of the region, bilaterally and through cooperation among the Indian Ocean rim countries.”

On India’s take on the Arab-Israeli conflict, the National Security Advisor said, “our support for peace in the Middle East has been principled and consistent. India was the first non-Arab country to recognize the state of Palestine.” India has opposed the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in the region and has contributed to the anti-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa and has developed maritime cooperation with the countries of the Gulf to protect the sea-lanes that are vital to our trade and energy flows, he said.