By IANS,
New Delhi : Building on an Indian Navy initiative, its Sri Lankan counterpart is hosting a two-day seminar being participated in by 34 nations of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) on promoting interoperability between their navies.
The pre-scheduled seminar that opened Thursday comes days after the Sri Lankan military won a decisive victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels and will focus on Practical Cooperative Mechanisms for Technical Support as part of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) maritime security initiative of the Indian Navy.
“The seminar will focus its attention on formulation of standards for interoperability and technical cooperation between IONS countries, understanding procedures, maintenance and repair methodologies being followed in IONS countries, leveraging logistics support within IOR for ships on deployment and other issues,” a statement issued by the Sri Lankan Navy said.
“The Sri Lanka Navy, which extends its unstinting support for IONS, is showing its commitment to maintain the regional momentum generated through the regional maritime security initiative alive by hosting the technical seminar which is expected to enhance the cooperation among regional navies,” the statement added.
IONS came into existence as a significant regional maritime security initiative in recognition of the centrality of “constructive engagement” as the primary means of achieving and assuring mutually beneficial security, stability, safety and collective prosperity amongst all littoral states of the IOR.