The importance of the Indian Ocean region is highlighted in the various initiatives that India is a part of.
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IONS Conclave of Chiefs - France, 2021
- The story: The seventh edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs was hosted by the French Navy at Paris from 15th-16th Nov 21. The inaugural edition was held in Feb 2008 at New Delhi, with the Indian Navy as the Chair for two years. The IONS Chair is presently held in France.
- What is it: The IONS is a voluntary and inclusive initiative to bring together navies of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) littoral states. The goal is to increase maritime co-operation and enhance regional security.
- It serves to develop an effective response mechanism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) against natural disasters.
- The chairmanship of IONS has been held by India (2008-10), UAE (2010-12), South Africa (2012-14), Australia (2014-16), Bangladesh (2016-18) and Islamic Republic of Iran (2018-21).
- France assumed the Chairmanship in June 2021 for a two-year tenure.
- Structure: The IONS includes 24 member nations that touch or lie within the IOR, and 8 observer nations. Members are geographically grouped into the 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.
- In general, the Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering 19.8% of the water on Earth's surface, and bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by the Southern Ocean or Antarctica. Its regional seas are the Arabian Sea, the Laccadive Sea, the Somali Sea, Bay of Bengal, and the Andaman Sea.
- Why is India interested: The IONS fits into India’s three-fold ambitions in the region, which include (i) Strengthening and deepening the relations with the Indian Ocean littoral states, (ii) Establishing its leadership potential and aspirations of being a net-security provider, and (iii) Fulfilling India’s vision of a rules-based and stable maritime order in the IOR. It will help consolidate its sphere of influence from the Straits of Malacca to Hormuz. The IONS can be used to counterbalance the increasing presence of China in the region. The Chinese navy - PLAN - has been expanding at a rapid pace in recent years, and is now the biggest navy in the world, by the number of ships it has.
- Indian Ocean Region's other initiatives:
- IORA - The Indian Ocean Rim Association, established in 1997, is aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region.
- Indian Ocean Commission - India was approved as an observer of the Indian Ocean Commission, the inter-governmental organization that coordinates maritime governance in the south-western Indian Ocean.
- India's Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) - It was launched in 2015, and through SAGAR, India seeks to deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building their maritime security capabilities.
- Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) - Set up by India in 2018, as an information-sharing hub of maritime data.
- Asia Africa Growth Corridor - The idea of Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) emerged in the joint declaration issued by India and Japan in 2016. It is raised on four pillars of Development and Cooperation Projects, Quality Infrastructure and Institutional Connectivity, Enhancing Capacities and Skills and People-to-People partnership.
- Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) - It is a sub-regional organization that came into being in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration, that aims to create an enabling environment for rapid economic development, accelerate social progress, and promote collaboration on matters of common interest in the IOR.
- Summary: Recent years have seen many strategic moves into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Since this is India's traditional stronghold since decades, and since the Indian Navy has always maintained the pre-eminent position in this region, India's new initiatives aim to strengthen the traditional position.
- EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Define the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) geographically. Why is it important for India? (2) What are the reasons that the IOR has so many initiatives moving in parallel? Explain. (3) What are the near-term risks for India from the PLA's Naval plans for the region in Indian Ocean? Explain.
#IOR #IndianOcean #IONS #IndianNavy #PLAN
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