The project is expected to link Arab countries in the Levant and the Gulf using a network of trains that will also connect to India through seaports in the Gulf.
The leaders of the US, India, Saudi Arabia, and other countries are reportedly in talks on a prospective infrastructure deal encompassing railways and ports, according to sources cited by Reuters on Friday. According to the organisation, the initial details of the negotiations were reported in the American publication Axios.
Reasons for the rail, port talks
According to the American newsletter, given China’s growing influence there and its crucial role in Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative, the White House may use this new project as the focal point of its Middle East policy.
Another reason is a significant arrangement where the US is negotiating with Saudi Arabia under which the US will cooperate with the Gulf Kingdom in establishing a civilian nuclear program and signing a defense agreement with Riyadh in exchange for repairing relations with Israel and cutting off ties with China and Russia.
However, a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia will probably depend on significant Israeli concessions to the Palestinians, which Netanyahu’s conservative cabinet is unlikely to make.
NSA Jake Sullivan’s comments on the infrastructure deal
Image source: Reuters
Despite being unable to confirm that the infrastructure deal would be unveiled at the G20, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the program is something “that we’ve invested effort into with our partners.”
He told reporters traveling with Biden on Air Force One, “We believe that connectivity from India across the Middle East to Europe is extremely important and would bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all of the countries involved.”
In support of its Belt and Road Initiative, China has been building substantial infrastructure projects all throughout the region. One component of the US response is the I2U2 forum and the proposed collaborative rail project.
UAE, India relations
There are already strong economic relations between the UAE and India. The UAE is India’s third-biggest trading partner, and India is the major importer of Emirati products. In order to improve the food security of the Gulf nation, Emirati businesses invested billions of dollars last year to build the India-UAE Food Corridor.
Israel is at the heart of India’s grandiose plan to make the Middle East into its breadbasket. 29 Indo-Israel Centers of Excellence have been established by the foreign ministry to increase crop diversity, yields, and water efficiency.
The project, per Axios, is anticipated to link Arab nations in the Levant and the Gulf with a network of trains that will also connect to India through seaports in the Gulf, according to the sources.
I2U2 group
Dammu Ravi, the Ministry of External Affairs’ Secretary of Economic Relations, attends the I2U2 Sherpa meeting in Abu Dhabi. | Photo Credit: ANI
According to Axios quoting two individuals, discussions done over the past 18 months in another group dubbed I2U2, which comprises the US, Israel, the UAE, and India, sparked the concept for this new project.
The organisation was established in late 2021 to discuss crucial Middle Eastern infrastructure projects and to serve as a counterweight to Beijing’s growing regional influence.
Israel brought up the idea of railroads connecting the region during the I2U2 talks during the past year. Using India’s expertise on such huge infrastructure projects was intended, a source said.
After that, the Biden administration broadened the concept to incorporate Saudi Arabia’s participation, according to Axois, which also cited the source.
