As an important global artery, the Indian Ocean aims to strengthen cooperation to ensure regional security and deal with challenges and leverage strengths for mutual development.
The event was organised by Oman with the participation of Foreign Ministers of countries in the region such as India, Iran, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Maldives, along with representatives from 60 countries bordering the Indian Ocean and countries having relations with Oman.
Taking place in the context of many fluctuations in regional and global geopolitics, the conference is an opportunity for Indian Ocean countries to seek opportunities for cooperation and enhance coordination to address the challenges facing the region while cooperating in the fields of maritime, economic and security.
In particular, many important issues, such as protecting the marine environment, ensuring freedom of navigation and enhancing the capacity of coastal communities in mitigating climate change, are urgently raised. This is also an opportunity to explore the untapped potential of the Indian Ocean, promoting cooperation in many economic and security aspects with countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
The conference also reflects the Sultanate of Oman's interest in enhancing maritime security in the Indian Ocean, supporting sustainable trade, developing cooperation mechanisms between countries, ensuring economic interests, maintaining ocean resources and improving transport capacity and maritime security.
As the third largest ocean in the world, the Indian Ocean covers 36 countries with a population of 3 billion people. This region is transforming and thriving, with 70% of global maritime trade passing through. Currently, countries in the Indian Ocean region face many challenges, such as piracy, maritime terrorism, climate, human and cargo trafficking, and overfishing.
Challenges related to humanitarian issues, such as rising sea levels and rescue efforts, require increased cooperation between countries. This conference discussed measures to strengthen maritime partnerships, improve trade links, support sustainable development and issues related to maritime security, ensuring freedom of navigation.
The countries in the Indian Ocean are diverse in terms of history, geography, development, politics and culture but are linked together by common interests in security and economy, especially in the context of major changes in geopolitics from West Asia to the Indo-Pacific.
More than ever, Indian Ocean countries must support each other, promote their strengths and appropriate linkage policies to promote development, connectivity, and protect maritime interests and security. Indian Ocean countries also face many challenges in monitoring their Exclusive Economic Zones and protecting fishing interests, in addition to illegal trafficking in many forms and the "ghost" of terrorism.
As one of the founding countries of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), established in 1997 and having also hosted many conferences related to the ocean and the blue economy, the host country Oman affirmed that it considers all countries as partners to share common interests and is committed to strengthening comprehensive partnerships in the Indian Ocean, ensuring fair sharing for all countries, both north and south, in the security and prosperity of this important region.
At the conference, countries across the Indian Ocean called for enhanced policy coordination and cooperation to ensure security and stability, promote strengths, and facilitate economic development for the common prosperity of the region.
