President Ranil Wickremesinghe and India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar held bilateral discussions at the 7th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Perth, Australia on Friday (9) during which both sides have acknowledged the advancements in their bilateral cooperation and have committed to further strengthening it.
President Wickremesinghe left for Australia on Thursday (8), at the invitation of the India Foundation and the Australian Government, to attend the conference.
The event, titled “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean” aims to promote cooperation among forty participating nations.
Participation of President Wickremesinghe is indicative of Sri Lanka’s proactive approach to regional security and development.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry will speak at the plenary session themed “Our Blue Future: How can the Indian Ocean region work with island states to safeguard the health of our shared ocean resources”
With Minister Sabry’s involvement, Sri Lanka is demonstrating its commitment to protecting its common ocean resources.
The India Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Australian Government, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore, and Perth-US Asia Centre, organized the conference aiming at developing a strategic plan for the region’s future.
In 2017, under the patronage of President Wickremesinghe, the Prime Minister back then, Sri Lanka previously hosted the second edition of the IOC.
The United States has told Sri Lanka that the disposition of the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Bushehr and its crew is a matter for Colombo to resolve under its own laws and international obligations, while signalling it is in active talks with Sri Lanka to contain Iran’s threat to US interests.
The government today granted permission for an Iranian warship with 208 on board to enter the country.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism today established a 24x7 Emergency Response Unit to coordinate matters related to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.
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