Africa | America | Asia | Australasia | Europe | India | Middle East | UK | US

26 nations on board Indian Navy's maritime military bloc

Posted : Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:14:02 GMT
By : IANS
Category : India (World)
News Alerts by Email ( click here )
India World News | Home
New Delhi, Dec 3 - Indicative of India's growing clout on the global stage, the navy has floated a maritime military bloc comprising littoral states of the Indian Ocean and the response has been overwhelming with 26 countries already on board.

For the moment, however, China and the US have been excluded from the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) since they are not littoral states, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said here Monday.

Thirty-one countries, in a broad swathe from South Africa to Australia had been invited and 26 have confirmed their participation for the IONS foundation meeting here Feb 14-18, timed to coincide with the biennial Defexpo international exposition, Mehta told reporters ahead of the Navy Week celebrations from Tuesday.

'Pakistan has also been invited and it is for them to confirm they will attend,' he said in response to a question, adding that the biennial IONS initiative had the 'full backing' of India's external affairs ministry.

IONS would be conducted in two parts, with the first two days devoted to a seminar that would consider an overview of the maritime scenario in the Indian Ocean Region, discuss contemporary maritime challenges and ways to ensure synergy through cooperative approaches.

The next three days would be devoted a closed-door conclave of navy chiefs of the participating countries aimed at establishing mechanisms to mitigate security concerns of the region and develop interoperability among its navies.

According to Mehta, 'Many navies of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) look to India to promote regional maritime security. It is thus prudent that India launches an inclusive forum for discussing and taking forward issues of common interest.'

Elaborating, he said: 'While Southeast and East Asian countries of the (US-backed) Western Pacific Naval Symposium are heavily engaged in the maritime domain, there is an engagement deficiency in the Indian Ocean, particularly in the western Indian Ocean.

'Consequently, external players are rapidly forging new maritime security relationships. The establishment of a regional naval grouping would promote greater mutual interaction and curtail growing dependency on extra regional players in the region.

'This apart, the symposium will enable Indian Ocean nations address their problems without external assistance,' Mehta added.


(c) Indo-Asian News Service

Share/Save/Bookmark

Article : 26 nations on board Indian Navy's maritime military bloc
Print this article
Email this article

Stay Updated
News gadget on your Google homepage
Subscribe to a news feed in Google Reader


Related News

Dalai Lama calls Chinese protests on visit baseless - Summary
New Delhi - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said Sunday his visit to India's north-eastern Arunachal Pradesh, which China considers a disputed region, was non-political and China's charges against him were baseless. My visit to Tawang is non...

Dalai Lama begins visit to India's disputed Arunachal Pradesh
New Delhi - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrived Sunday to a resounding welcome at the monastery town of Tawang in India's eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China considers a disputed region. Thousands of maroon-robed monks and loc...

16 killed in Nepal as bus falls from mountain
Kathmandu - At least 16 people were killed and more than two dozen injured Sunday when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway in western Nepal, police said. The bus fell about 250 metres off the narrow highway in the Arghakhanchi district, ab...

Arunachal to host Dalai Lama despite China's protests - Feature
New Delhi - The remote town of Tawang in India's eastern Arunachal Pradesh was preparing Saturday for a much-awaited visit by the Dalai Lama that has stirred a hornet's nest in India-China relations. The Tibetan spiritual leader is set to embark on a...

Sri Lanka speeds mine-clearing to hasten resettlement of displaced
Colombo - The Sri Lankan government will step up its mine- clearing efforts in former rebel-held areas in the northern part of the country to resettle 159,000 displaced persons before the end of January, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said Thur...

India, EU ink nuclear pact, aim at trade treaty by 2010 - Summary
New Delhi - India and the 27-member European Union Friday signed an agreement on a nuclear energy project and decided to conclude a free-trade pact within a year. Issues such as climate change, the global financial crisis and energy security featured...

30 killed as bus plunges into gorge in India - Summary
New Delhi - At least 30 people were killed Friday when an overcrowded passenger bus fell into a gorge in India's mountainous northern state of Himachal Pradesh, news reports said. The bus skidded off a highway and plunged into a 30-metre gorge in Kan...

Have your Say
Name
Email
Subject
Your Comment

Enter Verification code
 
  

 

 

More India (World) News click here
Follow The Earth Times
Subscribe to RSS Follow Earth Times on TwitterNews by email
Share/Save/Bookmark

 
 



 
Subscribe to free Earthtimes
News Alerts by Email Click here
For RSS Feeds Click here
or Create your own RSS

Add to Google Toolbar
Breaking News
Press Releases

 


The Earth Times
News Category

© 2009 www.earthtimes.org, The Earth Times, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
Earth Times accept no responsibility or liability either directly or indirectly for views or opinions expressed in articles or comments.