Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a three-nation trip to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman, aimed at strengthening India’s bilateral engagement with these countries. While the trip was hailed for how India reviewed and expanded cooperation with West Asian nations across a range of sectors, it also had a not-so-subtle geopolitical angle to it.
Experts believe that at the heart of Modi’s visit to West Asia is the India-Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC). This tour, they say, was a strategic snub to Turkey, a close ally of India’s arch foe, Pakistan. India’s relations with Turkey hit rock bottom after Ankara openly supported Pakistan in Operation Sindhoor. The country has since signed defence and trade deals with Pakistan, creating a robust strategic partnership often termed the "Turkey-Pakistan axis." This has strained India-Turkey relations.
Now, Modi’s visit to West Asia was seen as an attempt to form a triangle with Oman on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan at the crossroads of West Asia, and Ethiopia anchoring the Horn of Africa.
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The corridor, a viable alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is proposed to have two main intermodal routes: an eastern corridor connecting India with the Arabian Gulf, and a northern route through Israel to Europe. Countries such as Greece and Jordan are essential to the functioning of the corridor.
The plan is that energy and goods from India would be offloaded in the UAE, trans-shipped by rail or trucked by ground through Saudi Arabia, and across Jordan to Israel’s Haifa port. From there, they would go out towards Europe. This trade route would bypass Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey–– adversaries of the Western world and India.
It is in this context that Modi’s visit assumes significance. It is expected that both Oman and Jordan will play a key role in giving shape to the project. The hints were already there. King Abdullah of Jordan, in his address to the India-Jordan Business Council during the Prime Minister’s visit, did mention IMEC. His reference underscores the fact that IMEC is not forgotten and was a prominent part of the agenda.
Just days later, Israel hosted a meeting of Mediterranean states, Greece and Cyprus. The meeting focused on building the infrastructure that will position the Port of Haifa in Israel as the western gateway to Europe, the Port of Piraeus as Europe’s entry point, and the Port of Limassol in Cyprus as a transit hub. Both Greece and Cyprus have a history of deep-seated conflict.
Turkey has already expressed anger at being left out of the corridor. It has since been trying to undercut IMEC and prevent trade from going through Israel to Greece and Cyprus. It calls its exclusion from IMEC a combination of political estrangement and strategic rivalry, but did acknowledge that IMEC serves India’s strategic interests and will boost New Delhi’s global standing as a connectivity actor, strengthen its hand in negotiating trade and energy deals. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also openly criticized IMEC for deliberately excluding Ankara and has instead advanced the "Development Road" initiative, proposing a rival corridor that connects the Gulf to Europe through Iraq and Turkey.
Expert also sees India’s choice of a western trade route through Jordan and Israel as part of IMEC as a deliberate strategic distancing from regional axes, mainly Turkey.