COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, (TV BRICS) – India has assumed the vice-chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and is focussing on areas such as maritime security and development of the ocean-related “blue economy”.
In addition to these responsibilities as a coordinating country, the government of India will contribute to other priority areas of the organisation as and when required, external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishanka said while addressing the opening session of the 23rd IORA ministerial council meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The external affairs minister added that as vice president, India’s priorities are clearly focused on developing a stable, prosperous, strong and resilient Indian Ocean basin community.
Sri Lanka Presidency 2023-25
Congratulating Sri Lanka on the commencement of its presidency in 2023-25, Jaishankar said the Indian administration is committed to making efforts to enable its members to co-operate closely in the region and respond to developments outside the region.
It is important to maintain the Indian Ocean as a free, open and inclusive space based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the foreign minister said.
A rules-based multilateral international order coupled with sincere respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity remains the basis for the revival of the Indian Ocean basin states as a strong community, he emphasised.
The IORA Council of Ministers meeting was preceded by the 25th meeting of the senior officials committee chaired by Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Aruni Wijewardane.
The two-day meeting resulted in recommendations, including the adoption of the Colombo Communiqué by the members of the Council of Ministers, as reported by Prensa Latina, a partner of TV BRICS.