Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II during his visit to the Jordan Museum, in Amman on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Amman calling for an India-Jordan collaboration for the reconstruction of war-ravaged Syria, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Tel Aviv expressing India’s support for the Trump peace plan for Gaza, India on Tuesday (December 16, 2025) reiterated its willingness to play an important role in the fast-evolving scenario in West Asia.
Speaking at the India-Jordan Business Forum, Prime Minister Modi said King Abdullah II had shared his vision of developing railways and “next-generation infrastructure” in Jordan and added, “During our meeting yesterday, His Majesty also highlighted the infrastructure reconstruction needs in Syria. Indian and Jordanian companies can collaborate to address these requirements together.”
India had reached out to the post-Assad administration of President Ahmed Hussein Al-Sharaa in July when it had sent Joint Secretary M. Suresh Kumar, in charge of West Asia and North Africa Division of the External Affairs Ministry to Damascus. Syria is in need of reconstruction of essential infrastructure damaged by years of civil war between the rebels and the deposed government of Bashar Al Assad.
Prime Minister Modi – who was in Jordan earlier during Monday-Tuesday for his ongoing three-nation tour covering Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman – met with King Abdullah II and expressed mutual determination to fight “terrorism, extremism and radicalisation”. The two dignitaries also discussed the regional conflicts. “Prime Minister reaffirmed India’s support for efforts being made to achieve durable peace in the region,” a statement from the External Affairs Ministry said.
A day after Mr. Modi reached Jordan, Mr. Jaishankar landed in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, where he was welcomed by the Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Mr. Jaishankar condemned the terror attack in Bondi Beach of Sydney, Australia, and said, “Where India and Israel are concerned, we are both countries who have a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism.”
“I also would like to listen to you about the regional situation. I want to say that India supports the Gaza peace plan (given by President Trump) and hopes that it will lead to a lasting and durable solution,” said Mr. Jaishankar.
Mr. Jaishankar’s Israel visit has attracted attention, as in its backdrop, the Israeli Knesset passed a law to stop the activities of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine refugees that India has assisted historically. Earlier this month, India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution renewing the mandate of the UNRWA for the next three years. The resolution received support from 151 countries, while ten countries opposed it and 14 abstained. The External Affairs Ministry is yet to respond to a question in this regard from The Hindu.
Published – December 16, 2025 10:44 pm IST
