Image: Indo –Lanka Navy Chiefs meeting while the Seminar(February 28, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy attended the Indian Ocean Naval symposium (IONS) held in New Delhi from the 14th to 15th of February 2008. The symposium, an initiative to harness interoperability among the navies of the member states, was attended by chiefs of the navies from 27 littoral states in the Indian Ocean region.
The primary aim of the Indian Ocean Naval symposium is to sustain a regionally relevant, consultative forum within which the navies of the littoral States of the Indian Ocean Region can discuss issues and concerns that bear upon maritime security, with a view to arriving at agreed courses of action on trans-national issues, based upon a common understanding of the regional maritime security environment.
The initiative emphasizes the regional cooperation in setting up regional maritime security mechanisms to ensure maritime security in the region and pledges support to combat threats to the major Sea Lanes of Communication running through the Indian Ocean region.
The Indian Ocean region has seen a rise in sea piracy, smuggling of arms and narcotics. The major Sea Lanes of Communication in the region has faced an increasing vulnerability in the face of these rising threats of maritime terrorism.
The naval delegates attending the symposium discussed plans to formulate a collective regional response to combat maritime terrorism, sea piracy and natural disasters and drafted a charter to enhance the maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
The Navy Commander also attended the IONS Seminar held in New Delhi from the 13th to 18th February to mark the launch of the symposium. The seminar titled “Contemporary Trans-national Challenges – International Maritime Connectivities” was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Regional powers like Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia too attended the symposium.
 Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, Com...){kind=link}
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