Top experts from nearly 40 countries will hold discussions on crucial issues like freedom of navigation and overflight, collective counter terrorism efforts, anti-piracy cooperation and strengthening economic partnership during a two-day conference on Indian Ocean Region (IOR) in Colombo. The conference is part of India’s efforts to rejuvenate ties with IOR countries and increase its outreach in the region to counter the growing Chinese influence in the region.
This is the second edition of the IOR conference. The two-day event from August 31 to September 1 is being orgainsed by India Foundation in association with the Sri lankan Government with support from the Ministry of External Affairs. The conference will deliberate on the topic — Peace, Progress, Prosperity — and will see participation of National Security Advisors of six countries, top diplomats, foreign ministers and a few heads of the state.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will jointly inaugurate the event with Prime Minister of Sri lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe, Vice President of Seychelles Vincent Meriton, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan, while lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will deliver the valedictory address. The event will also witness Ministers, ex-Ministers and officials from Japan, Bangladesh, Sri lanka, India, Vietnam, Singapore, Iran, lao PDR, Vietnam, Nepal, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Tanzania etc. Besides, top officials from US, Australia, Germany, Kenya and South Korea will also be present. The US will be represented by Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells while Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah is also expected to be present.
The event can been seen as an effort to counter China’s growing influence in the IOR. China last month dispatched its military personnel to set up its first-ever overseas base in Djibouti in East Africa. Besides, last month the Chinese state run company China Merchants Ports Holdings signed a $1.12bn agreement with Sri lanka to operate the Hambantota port in the southeast of the Island country, despite security concerns from India which believes China may use the deep sea port in the Indian Ocean to dock its military vessels. However, Sri lanka has assured India that the port will be used only for commercial purposes.
With the Chinese footprint growing in the IOR, India has for the last couple of years intensified its engagement with higher number of IOR countries compared to its previous approach of focusing only on the immediate neighbours like Bangladesh, Sri lanka, Myanmar, Maldives and Seychelles. The MEA now has a special IOR division and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 undertook a Sagar Yatra where he travelled to key IOR allies Sri lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles to rejuvenate the relations.
Apart from increasing economic cooperation, India is looking at strengthening its Naval relations, providing support to Martime training to several of IOR countries. India has provided interceptor boat to Seychelles and activated the first of the Indian Navy’s 32 coastal surveillance radar (CSR) stations. This is part of India-led maritime surveillance project that will have stations in Seychelles, Sri lanka, Maldives and Mauritius.