By P. Vijian, NNN-Bernama
New Delhi : While announcing its commitment to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean, India has urged like-minded nations to lend a hand to achieve the mammoth task.
Speaking at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium in the Delhi Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the ocean — the third largest in the world — had become a vital maritime artery for the region which needed to be safeguarded from a mosaic of crises, from manmade to natural disasters looming in the sea-lane.
“Recent years have seen a rise in crimes such as terrorism, smuggling of narcotics, arms and weapons, piracy and robbery. These activities not only pose a threat to our growing naval commerce but also affect innocent fishermen and tourists,” he added.
“The perpetrators of these crimes are organised and well-funded transnational crime syndicates which take full advantage of the vastness of the oceans. The need for co-operation among the navies of the region in preventing such transnational crime is of paramount importance.”
Navy chiefs and heads of maritime security agencies from Indian Ocean rim nations are attending the two-day symposium here. Malaysia’s Navy Chief, Admiral Ramlan Mohamed Ali, is among the participants of the first ever-consultative mechanism on the Indian Ocean.
Besides accounting for 40 per cent of the world’s energy resources, the Indian Ocean region is a major sea route linking West Asia, Africa and Europe with east Asia and the Americas. An assortment of cargo, including petroleum from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia, pass through this sea-lane.
“The sea-lanes of the region have thus emerged as one of the most important lines of communication in the world and India remains committed to an Indian Ocean region that is stable and peaceful,” said the prime minister.
“We would like to cooperate with all like-minded countries to ensure the freedom of the seas for all nations and to deepen trade and economic linkages amongst the ocean’s rim countries.”
About 30 countries are participating in the inaugural meeting, primarily to promote co-operative engagement in the region.