New York, Aug 12 (IANS) At a high-level UN Security Council debate on maritime security held in New York, India strongly reaffirmed its commitment to a free, open and rules-based maritime order, grounded in international law and guided by the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The debate, chaired by the Permanent Mission of Panama, brought together global stakeholders to address pressing challenges in maritime governance and security.

Addressing the session, Tanmaya Lal, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Secretary (West), spoke of MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) -India’s vision for maritime security, outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also congratulated Panama for taking over the Presidency of the UN Security Council for August.

Emphasising the critical importance of sea routes for global trade, energy supplies, communication cables, the traditional and non-traditional threats, and India’s longstanding maritime tradition, Lal stated that India, as one of the world’s largest economies, has strong stakes and interests in maritime security.

“India, with a coastline of more than 11,000 km and nearly 1,300 offshore islands and islets, has an Exclusive Economic Zone spread over nearly 2.3 million sq km. India shares maritime boundaries with 7 nations. There are 12 major ports, 200 smaller ports, and nearly 30 shipyards on the Indian coast, continuing the longstanding shipbuilding tradition. India is also the third largest supplier of seafarers to the global maritime industry,” he noted.

He stated that a large section of the Indian population resides close to the coasts and millions of Indians derive their livelihood from the ocean economy.

Lal highlighted that the scale of maritime safety and security challenges, as well as the urgent importance of economic stability and environmental sustainability concerns, is huge for India.

“India is a founding member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), and is an observer at the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). We also engage with a range of partners at other formats such as the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC), Contact Group on Illicit Maritime Activities (CGIMA), and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical & Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC),” the MEA official emphasised.

“Operational coordination is achieved through working groups and exercises like Coordinated Patrols (CORPATs), Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME), ASEAN-India Maritime exercises, exercise MILAN hosted by India, IONS Chiefs Conclave and exercise Malabar. India and the EU have conducted joint naval activities in the Gulf of Guinea to reinforce maritime security,” he added.

Lal further stated that in a unique initiative, an Indian Naval Ship, recently served as an Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, sailed with nearly 50 crew from 9 partner countries of the Indian Ocean Region, undertaking joint maritime security activities.

India’s ongoing work on a Deep Ocean Mission, Lal said, will contribute to the understanding of deep-sea ecosystems, facilitating sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation.

He called for genuine international cooperation to address the collective challenges to maritime security and prosperity, adding that as a responsible maritime power, India stands ready to continue contributing to these joint efforts.

–IANS

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