Several Foreign Ministers, including those of India, South Africa, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Iran and Malaysia, will participate in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers Meeting scheduled to take place on October 11, 2023, according to the Sri Lankan Government which is preparing to take over as the Chair of the IORA grouping this week.
Participating Nations
According to a statement released by the office of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Council of Ministers Meeting in Colombo will see the participation of 16 ministers, including the foreign ministers of Bangladesh, Iran, India, Malaysia, South Africa and Mauritius, as well as senior level from Australia, Comoros, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, UAE, Yemen, China, Egypt and Germany, Italy, Japan, Republic of South Korea, UK, US and Russia.
Sri Lanka to take charge of IORA
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry will chair the Council, the highest decision-making body of the IORA, taking over from the foreign minister of Bangladesh, the current chair for the next two years. The Council will be preceded by the 25th Meeting of the Committee of IORA Senior Officials on October 9 and 10, 2023.
The ministers will deliberate on ways to cooperate on six priority areas, including trade and investment, maritime safety and security, fisheries management, disaster risk management and the Blue Economy.
The regional meet of the countries on the rim of the Indian Ocean Rim comes exactly a year after the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), the country’s top development aid agency, convened the first China-India Ocean Region Forum in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming.
Chinese Forays in IOR
Significantly, Sri Lanka, which is frequently confronted with the competing strategic interests of India and China in the IOR, participated in this forum along with others from the region, including Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. The IORA Forum also coincides with reports of a possible visit of the Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6 to Sri Lanka.
India and the US have reportedly raised the matter with Sri Lanka, while foreign minister Sabry, in a recent interview, said that the government was yet to clear the Chinese vessel’s visit. Meanwhile, on October 11, 2023, India and Sri Lanka will launch a long-pending ferry service connecting Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu with Kankesanthuria in the northern province of Sri Lanka this week as part of the country’s decision to enhance connectivity.
About the IORA
Established in 1997 as an intergovernmental organisation of the states on the rim of the Indian Ocean, the IORA has members from Africa, West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. The association’s membership has expanded to eleven dialogue partners and twenty-three members. It promotes sustained growth and balanced development within the Indian Ocean Region, and its 23 members
The External Affairs Minister of India, Subramaniam Jaishankar, will be travelling to Colombo to participate in the IORA meeting to be held on October 11, 2023, According to the MEA, India will be taking charge of the IORA in the year 2025-2027
