New Delhi, Oct 6 (PTI) The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor is an initiative that has been at work even in the time of “all the difficulties”, whether it is the conflict in Iran or the problems faced in the Strait of Hormuz, French President’s Special Envoy for IMEC Gérard Mestrallet said on Tuesday.
In his opening remarks at a press interaction in Delhi, Mestrallet also said the IMEC is planned as a “network of complementary routes” in order to be more resilient.
So, if one particular route has an issue, a blockage or an accident, a technical one or even a local crisis, the other routes ar available, he said.
Also, the IMEC is an organisation that has been working in spite of the difficulties, he said, as he referred to the conflicts in Gaza, as also in Iran, and the impact of it on the Strait of Hormuz.
This necessitates the need for a “resilient corridor” offering several possibilities to the markets, Mestrallet added.
Billed as a pathbreaking initiative, the IMEC envisages a vast road, railroad and shipping networks among Saudi Arabia, India, the United States and Europe, with an aim to ensure integration among Asia, the Middle East and the West.
The IMEC initiative was firmed up on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Delhi in September 2023.
In September 2023, an agreement was signed by India, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the US and some other G20 partners for the corridor.
EU signatories Italy, France and Germany are partners in this transnational connectivity project.
In an exclusive interview to PTI Videos in August 2025, Italy’s special envoy for the IMEC, Francesco Talo, had said the ambitious project was started with a “lot of hope” and such initiatives are needed especially in times of volatility and uncertainty driven by global security challenges.
He had also said India is “certainly crucial” in the transnational IMEC project because it is a huge market and producer. PTI KND RC
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