Russia, Spain and Italy have applied for an observer status in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) while a two-day preparatory workshop of which is being organised here by Pakistan Navy. The event, which is being attended by navies and maritime security agencies from 17 countries, would deliberate upon the inclusion of the three applicant countries.
The culmination of the IONS Working Group activities saw the commencement of the IONS preparatory workshop's opening session here at a local hotel. On the occasion, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Khan Hasham Bin Saddique expressed satisfaction that with co-operation and support of all the visiting delegates, the preparatory workshop would achieve its aims and objectives in the best interest of the region.
The vice chief said Pakistan Navy believed in peaceful coexistence and actively strived to promote peace and good order at sea. "We feel obligated to fulfil our international commitments for ensuring legitimate maritime activities to take place unimpeded," he said.
Khan said Pakistan Navy had been a leading participant in Combined Task Forces (CTF) 150 and 151. Pakistan Navy ships in conjunction with the coalition forces have successfully apprehended a number of suspected vessels involved in drugs trafficking and human smuggling over the last decade. The painstaking vigil particularly in the North Arabian Sea had definitely curtailed the liberty of action and deterred many other undesirable activities. Pakistan Navy was proud of having commanded these task forces a number of times and was committed to the cause on permanent basis, he added.
"The capability issues notwithstanding, I feel it is the regional navies that have the staying power and appetite to do the needful on sustained basis," the vice chief said. He underlined that an important adjunct to Pakistan Navy's efforts toward collaborative maritime security was the IONS which provided the regional navies a platform to work together for maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean region.
Chairing the IONS Working Group on Info Sharing and Interoperability and hosting of this IONS Preparatory Workshop are reflective of the importance that Pakistan Navy attached to the IONS. He said Pakistan Navy was also accorded observer status at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) last year and through participation in these forums, Pakistan Navy could play its part towards reinforcing the trust necessary for effective multinational operations to secure the global maritime commons.
Vice Admiral Asif Humayun (Retd) during a key note address highlighted the prospective challenges to maritime security, the effects on global economy and trade being run through Indian Ocean and the importance of collaborative and co-operative approach to security for mutual benefit.