India on Tuesday deplored the continued Israeli blockade of Gaza, and said lasting peace and security in the region could be achieved only through peaceful dialogue and not through use of force.
     
"India deplores the recent tragic loss of life and injuries to people on the boats carrying supplies to Gaza. There can be no justification for such indiscriminate use of force, which we condemn," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said at the 3rd Summit of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building in Asia (CICA) in Istanbul.
      
Sharma, who is representing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the summit, said the broader West Asia region remains of vital importance to India.
      
"The continued blockade of Gaza and denial of essential supplies of food and medicines has created a humanitarian crisis of immense proportion," he said.
      
He pointed out that the civilian population especially women and children are the victims of the deadlock.
      
Sharma emphasised that lasting peace and security in the region can be achieved only through peaceful dialogue and not through use of force.
      
He said Singh could not attend the Summit due to "pressing domestic commitments".
      
The Summit is being attended by a number of Heads of Government, including Russian Prime Minister Valadmir Putin.
     
Ministers from several Asian countries are also participating in the three-day Summit which began on Monday.
      
During the Summit, Iraq and Vietnam became members of CICA taking the number to 22. India is part of CICA process since its inception in 1992.