IMEC

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a multi-modal connectivity initiative announced through a Memorandum of Understanding on the sidelines of the G20 New Delhi Summit on September 9, 2023. It is structured as two integrated corridors: the Eastern Maritime Corridor from India's western coast (Mundra, Kandla, Jawaharlal Nehru Port) to the UAE, and the Northern Corridor running from the UAE through Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Israel's Haifa port, and onward by ship to Piraeus in Greece and the wider European Union. Beyond rail and shipping, the corridor envisages undersea optical fibre cables, electricity interconnection, and a clean hydrogen pipeline. The eight original signatories are India, the United States, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union. IMEC is widely viewed as a democratic alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Progress slowed after the October 2023 Gaza war, but bilateral activation continued.

• 1 Announced September 9, 2023 at the G20 New Delhi Summit
• 2 Two corridors — Eastern Maritime (India-UAE) and Northern (UAE-Saudi Arabia-Jordan-Israel-Greece-EU)
• 3 Eight signatories: India, US, UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, EU
• 4 Components: railway, shipping, electricity, undersea cables, and clean hydrogen pipeline
• 5 Positioned as a democratic alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
• 6 Progress slowed after Gaza war (October 7, 2023); bilateral activation continues with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, and Italy
• 7 Cyprus's offer to anchor IMEC's Eastern Mediterranean leg (Limassol port) was formalised in May 2026

On May 22, 2026, PM Narendra Modi and Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides constituted a 'Friends of IMEC' group during the latter's State Visit, adding an Eastern Mediterranean anchor to the corridor.