India, March 3 -- The Ministry of External Affairs Tuesday reiterated the necessity of de-escalation in the West Asian region, while flagging concerns regarding the safety of Indians in Gulf countries.

In a statement, the ministry said there were almost one crore Indian citizens who live and work in the Gulf region. "Their safety and well-being is of utmost priority. We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them," the MEA said.

It "firmly opposed" attacks on merchant shipping, saying some Indian nationals had already lost their lives or are missing "as a result of such attacks in the last few days." This comes after one Indian mariner was killed onboard crude oil tanker 'MKD VYOM' after it was hit by a drone bo...