Azernews.Az

The fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria has evoked deep concern in India, prompting India to respond cautiously to the rapidly changing events in the region.

In its first statement after Assad’s ouster, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called on “all parties to work towards preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria” and for a “peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process respecting the interests and aspirations of all sections of Syrian society.”

New Delhi refrained from taking sides in the unfolding situation in Syria.

India’s immediate concern is the safety of its nationals in the country. According to the MEA, there are around 90 Indians in Syria. “We are closely following the situation,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, adding that the Indian “mission remains in close contact with our nationals for their safety and security.”

Besides, for India, the upheaval in Syria marks the loss of what analysts call a crucial Islamic “voice of support” on one of its thorniest issues: Kashmir.

While New Delhi has long maintained that the Kashmir dispute is a bilateral matter between itself and Pakistan, Syria’s consistent backing at the United Nations and elsewhere was seen as a quiet but significant win.

“This voice of support from within the Arab Islamic world was important,” said Kabir Taneja, a Middle East expert and deputy director at the Observer Research Foundation think tank in Delhi. Under Bashar al-Assad, Syria had repeatedly affirmed that Kashmir was an internal matter for India to settle itself without outside interference.

Now, with Assad gone, the future of that support is uncertain.

Opposition forces seized the Syrian capital last weekend, forcing Assad to flee and ending his family’s decades-long rule over a country that had been torn apart by a civil war that killed over half a million people and displaced millions more.

The dramatic turn of events took Delhi by surprise, according to Indian media reports. India had hosted a delegation of Syrian officials just weeks before.