UPSC Articles
Indian Ocean Naval Symposium
Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations
Context: The regional grouping Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) conducted its maiden edition of maritime exercise, IMEX-22, at Goa and in the Arabian Sea from March 26 to 30.
- The exercise witnessed participation of 16 of the 25 member nations.
- The exercise is seen as a significant stepping stone for regional navies to collaborate and respond collectively to natural disasters in the region and paves way for further strengthening regional cooperation.
About Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)
- The IONS is a voluntary and inclusive initiative that brings together navies of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) littoral states to increase maritime co-operation and enhance regional security.
- It also serves to develop an effective response mechanism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) against natural disasters.
- IONS includes 24 member nations that touch or lie within the IOR, and 8 observer nations.
- The members have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions:
- South Asian Littorals: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom (British Indian Ocean Territory)
- West Asian Littorals: Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
- East African Littorals: France (Reunion), Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania.
- South East Asian and Australian Littorals: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
- Significance for India: IONS fits into India’s three-fold ambitions in the region:
- Strengthening and deepening the relations with the Indian Ocean littoral states,
- Establishing its leadership potential and aspirations of being a net-security provider, and
- Fulfilling India’s vision of a rules-based and stable maritime order in the IOR.
News Source: TH
