France’s foreign minister asked India to cooperate with France to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Based on a statement by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot met in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, and the two sides “emphasized the necessity of ensuring freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb.

Barrot said these straits are “essential for the stability and prosperity of Europe and Asia,” and referred to the joint initiative of France and Britain to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The two ministers also stressed France’s and India’s commitment to international law and the two countries’ shared support for “effective and reformed multilateralism.”