VP Faisal: Peace and security of Indian ocean is a key foreign policy of the govt.

Vice President Faisal Naseem, on Friday, remarked that preserving the Peace and security in the Indian Ocean region is a key foreign policy priority of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration.

He made the remark in his address at the sixth Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) 2023.

Reflecting on IOC 2023’s theme ‘Peace, Prosperity, and Partnership for a Resilient Future – VP Faisal said a resilient and sustainable future is a choice that requires proactive measures that promote transformation. He added that managing risks and uncertainty involves adaptive management, learning, innovation, and leadership.

He further stated that President Solih’s administration is mindful of the obstacles that threaten stable socioeconomic progress in the Indian Ocean ranging from non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, human trafficking, irregular migration, drug smuggling, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. He stressed that illegal exploitation of marine resources and the degradation of ocean health leave small, low-lying coastal nations such as the Maldives that are particularly suspectable to the impacts of climate change.

Noting the Indian Ocean region to be home to some of the world's fastest-growing civilizations which also serves as a hub for trade with the Middle East, Africa, East Asia, Europe, and the Americas – VP Faisal stressed that it is the responsibility of all nations to ensure the peace, economic prosperity, environmental protection, and international rules in the region. 

On this note, he called on the participants to build partnerships based on mutual respect and trust to resolve outstanding issues and promote prosperity, sustainability, and stability in the Indian Ocean region through a rules-based approach.

IOC 2023 will be held on Friday and Saturday in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka.