The upcoming Indian Ocean Rim Association ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi will be keenly watched as India continues to promote its official policy of “coordination, cooperation and partnership” in the regional maritime domain.

The meeting is important as two of India’s important partners, the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh, will take charge as the new chair and vice-chair of one of the largest regional maritime organisations for the duration of 2019-21. It is expected that the rise of more partner countries in managing the crucial maritime region that connects India with the energy suppliers in the Gulf will help in greater coordination in the Indian Ocean region.

The 19th IORA Council of Ministers meeting will be held on November 7 in Abu Dhabi with the theme of “Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to Prosperity in the Indian Ocean”. Along with the outgoing chair South Africa, Bangladesh and the UAE are expected to form the new troika of the regional organisation.

This is especially significant for Bangladesh as the ministerial will pave the way for Dhaka to play a leading role in IOR for four years from 2019 to 2023 as the country is expected to succeed the UAE and become the next chair. The developments are expected to be studied carefully in New Delhi where officials are aiming to use the maritime domain as a “connector”. Officials said that Indian policy takes into consideration that IOR is not an India-run maritime domain and that is reflected in the government’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) programme, which aims to turn the region more inclusive.

Over the last few years, India has been trying to emerge as the net provider of information in the IOR and in that direction it created the Information Fusion Centre in Gurugram to assist member countries with real time crisis information.

Celebrate Diwali with The Hindu and get 20% discount. You need to subscribe or sign up to read Today's Paper articles

Already have an account ? Sign in

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Support The Hindu's new online experience.

Already a user? Sign In