Somali pirates are gradually shifting their base towards India, said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar while addressing at the closing ceremony of the three-day conference of India and Indian Ocean: Renewing the Maritime Trade and Civilisational linkages here on Sunday.
“Pirates are a big threat in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Navy of several nations are trying to keep a tab on them. But of late, Somali pirates are shifting their base towards India and are proving to be a considerable threat to international shipping for a long time now,” Parrikar said.
Calling for a greater deal of cooperation from neighbouring countries, he said, “The Indian Ocean can be an enricher and also a destroyer; hence we should remain prepared for the disaster and to develop strong relationships and communication with neighbouring countries to avoid any kind of disaster.”
Stating the Modi Government’s foreign policy is ‘Act East and look East,” the Minister said the Indian Navy must remain a superior force in the IOR and assured that the Government would extend full support for making it a truly blue water navy.
Emphasising on safeguarding of ocean resources, he said “India’s coastline is the necklace of Indian Ocean Rim countries. Culture and ancient ties are the threads of this necklace.” He proposed to strengthen power by forming a group and create a common platform for RIM region.
“India has 47 per cent of declared gas reserves, 50 per cent of coastal traffic and 1/3 of cargo traffic. 95 per cent of genetic material comes from fish. Ocean is the source of many natural resources and also non-renewable power can be generated from it,” Parikkar added.
Stressing on IOR role in international trade and maritime activities, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called upon the academics, think tanks, policy makers in both Central and State Governments to work together to re-establish the lost linkages.
Governor Dr SC Jamir said the emergence of Indian Ocean maritime cooperation calls for a climate of trust and transparency to protect each other’s interests. “Indian Ocean, which is the world’s third largest, offers a plethora of opportunities. It is expected that the sea-lanes of the Indian Ocean will become busier in the future as global maritime trade grows in size and importance,” Jamir said.