The Goa Maritime Enclave 2017 was a great success and boosted the relations of India with its maritime neighbors. Taking a step towards continuing friendly relations with our neighbors, the Naval War College(Goa), hosted the meet from October 31 to November 2. Here are the key highlights:
- The meet was held between the Indian Navy and was attended by attended by Chiefs of the Navies/ Heads of Maritime Agencies of ten countries: India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
- It was inaugurated by Hon’ble defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman and aimed at finding a solution to some of the most common problems faced by the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
- The Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said that the maritime region should be devoid of all threats by all the nations so as to ensure a stronger hold on securing the seas.
- India has made an offer to share intelligence of maritime movements in the Indian Ocean in real-time with 10 Indian Ocean littoral States.
- All in presence acknowledged the importance of the Indian Ocean as a gateway to connect the east to west.
- Common security threats that were identified were non-traditional threats in the form of maritime terrorism, unregulated fishing, illegal fishing and sea piracy.
- For the same, correct mechanisms have been put it in place to regulate the above and communicate with each nation properly.
- Admiral Sunil Lanba also mentioned that India is well on its way to become a 200 vessel Navy in another 10 years. He mentioned, “Our present strength is about 139 ships and submarines. Time bound deliveries of more than 30 under-construction projects over the next few years will maintain a healthy ratio of old and new platforms”.
All in all, we can say that GMC 2017 was a great success and a breakthrough in terms of securing our seas. It strengthened the bond between us and our maritime neighbors greatly.
