The war in West Asia and disruptions on key trade routes have accelerated work on enabling components of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), while drawing interest from countries beyond the original eight signatories. Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Greece and Cyprus have shown interest in joining the corridor as its focus shifts towards building resilient trade routes with alternatives in case of blockages, accidents, technical disruptions or local crises, French President’s Special Envoy for IMEC Gerard Mestrallet said.