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5th consecutive ‘Galle Dialogue 2014’ to ensure plain sailing
View(s):“Galle Dialogue 2014”, the International Maritime Conference organised by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, will be held for the fifth consecutive year in Galle on Monday and Tuesday,
Themed “Cooperation and Collaboration for Maritime Prosperity”, this year’s dialogue will be held at the Lighthouse Hotel in Galle.
The conference will be attended by local and foreign scholars and experts in maritime and naval affairs, representing 38 countries.
The keynote address will be delivered by National Security Advisor of India, Dr. Ajit Kumar Doval, at the commencement, while the welcome adress will be by SLN Commander, Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. G.L. Peiris, as Chief Guest, will address the gathering on the theme “Towards a Blue Economy”.
There is, currently, a surge of interest in maritime affairs, becauseit is a domain very important in the current state of affairs, in which nations continuously compete, collaborate and co-exist, the Navy said in a press release.
However, economic benefits, the release said, can be reaped from our oceans only if a substantive maritime security environment exists.
Such an environment is to be achieved only through synergy of efforts both internal and external. Current incidents like piracy off the Somalian coast, were not isolated cases, but had global repercussions, highlighting the fact that maritime matters require the attention of policymakers as well as policy executioners.
Consequently, this year’s dialogue will explore ways and means to synergize efforts of cooperation and collaboration to achieve maritime prosperity.
The Galle Dialogue, which began in 2010 with only 11 countries, has grown to 38 countries in its fifth year.
It is hoped that this year’s dialogue would provide an opportunity for participating nations to gain a better understanding of interconnected issues, and assist in making the seas safer for all. Viewers can obtain updates of the mega event by logging onto the conference web site www.galledialogue.com.