New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) In the backdrop of growing importance of the seas in India’s security matrix, a two-day conference beginning here Monday will debate the role of maritime power and the challenges in the Indian Ocean region, including the recent rise in piracy.
To be organised by the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), a maritime think tank with Indian Navy backing, the event will be opened by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who is expected to outline India’s views on the security issues in the Indian Ocean and how the nation wishes to tackle them.
‘As the challenges rise, the need to factor in and secure effective management of the Indian Ocean has turned into a compelling imperative,’ former Indian Navy chief Admiral (retd) Sureesh Mehta, who took over as the NMF’s chairman recently on return from his diplomatic assignment as the Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand, said here.
‘While governments and authorities grapple with complex issues trying to forge a coherent maritime policy, there is a growing recognition that unless solutions are found quickly, lives and livelihoods could be a risk,’ he said.
The conference will debate asymmetric maritime challenges, environment threats, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, resolution of exclusive economic zone issues and marine conflicts, which the organisers feel are issues affecting the Indian Ocean littoral countries.
‘The long-term consequences of neglecting non-traditional challenges to the Indian Ocean may far exceed the immediate cost of inaction,’ NMF officials said explaining the reasons for the seminar.
The issues have become critical as the Indian Ocean has emerged as a hub for critical trade — over a third of world trade passes through the region — and energy transfers.
Concomitant with the rise in its commercial significance, the region has also become an area of abiding strategic interest, they added.
