Archive · 7 Oct 2026
French Envoy Says Multiple Routes Key to IMEC Amid Hormuz Crisis
IMEC is a plan to connect India with Europe through the Middle East using ships, railways and other links.
France’s special envoy said several countries are interested in working with the plan or joining it.
The countries already in IMEC would have to agree before it could officially expand.
A meeting of ministers may take place by the end of the year to discuss this.
The envoy said having several routes matters because one route could be blocked or disrupted.
He said recent conflicts and problems in the region make backup routes more important.
French envoy Gérard Mestrallet said Egypt, Lebanon and Oman have expressed interest in working with or joining IMEC; Greece and Cyprus were also identified as potential interested countries.
Any formal expansion of the corridor would require approval from its eight existing signatories.
A ministerial meeting is expected by year-end and could consider expanding IMEC’s membership and geographic scope.
Mestrallet described IMEC as a network of complementary routes intended to keep trade moving if one route faces disruption.
He said crises involving Gaza, Iran and the Strait of Hormuz have increased the need for a resilient corridor.
- Who
- Gérard Mestrallet, French President’s Special Envoy for IMEC, and the eight existing signatories.
- What
- Mestrallet said several countries are interested in IMEC and that multiple routes are important for resilience; a ministerial meeting may consider expansion.
- When
- Mestrallet spoke on Tuesday; a ministerial meeting is expected by the end of the year.
- Where
- At the IMEC Ports Club Working Day in New Delhi.
- Why
- To improve connectivity and provide alternative trade routes amid disruptions and geopolitical crises.
Potential expansion
Current membership
Broadening IMEC’s reach
Potential expansion
Mestrallet said interested countries could work with IMEC as full members, associated members or through another arrangement.
Current membership
He said formal expansion can only be decided by the eight existing signatory governments.
Building route resilience
Potential expansion
Mestrallet argued that complementary routes can keep connectivity available if a route is blocked or disrupted.
Current membership
The article does not report a contrary position; the eight signatories have not yet held a ministerial-level meeting to decide on expansion.
- Corridor
- India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)
- Existing signatories
- India, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union
- Countries identified as interested
- Egypt, Lebanon and Oman; Greece and Cyprus were also identified as potentially interested in full membership
- Expansion decision
- Would be made by the eight existing signatories
- Possible ministerial meeting
- Expected by the end of the year; no ministerial-level meeting had yet taken place since IMEC’s creation
- Announced
- September 2023, during the G20 summit
- Proposed transport links
- Shipping, rail and other connectivity infrastructure