New Delhi, July 5 (UNI) The Sixth East Asia Summit (EAS) Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation was held in Mumbai on July 4-5, that saw more than 60 participants, including Government officials and experts from think tanks and academia from EAS Participating Countries, in attendance.
The Conference was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, in partnership with Governments of Australia and Indonesia. The ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) at Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) collaborated as Knowledge Partners for the Conference, a statement said.
The EAS Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation is a signature event organised by India in cooperation with partners as a commitment to strengthen ASEAN-led EAS mechanism as well as support implementation of the EAS Plan of Action 2024-2028.
Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar, delivered the Keynote Address underlining the importance of dialogue and cooperation for promoting peace, stability, and economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, especially through maritime security cooperation.
Participants deliberated on a wide range of issues related to efforts towards securing the maritime environment in line with the open, inclusive, transparent and outward looking character of the EAS under six thematic sessions, including the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), Regional Maritime Domain Awareness, Combating illicit maritime activity, anti-piracy and IUU fishing, Maritime Connectivity, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Search and Rescue (SAR), the statement said.
The East Asia Summit is the only leader-led forum in the Indo-Pacific that brings together all key partners to discuss political, security and economic issues of strategic importance. The EAS comprises 18 members: the 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and eight dialogue partners (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States).
