emarks by Shri AK Antony at the Annual National Maritime Foundation Conference
The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has called for global efforts to uproot the threat of piracy. Inaugurating the Annual National Maritime Foundation Conference here today, Shri Antony said India has already submitted certain proposals at the United Nations. “If ever there was a need for consensual and cooperative effort, it is in relation to piracy and India has put forward certain proposals at the United Nations.”
The Defence Minister pointed out that the Indian Navy has made significant contribution to the global anti-piracy efforts in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) since 2008. “What is significant is that more than 85 percent of the ships escorted by the Indian Navy are of foreign flag.” Shri Antony said that the challenge of piracy is yet to be effectively quarantined. “There is a consensus that while the pirates can be neutralized at sea, the real solution lies in addressing the root causes, which are complex and are actually located on land.”
The Defence Minister also voiced concern at the military presence of world’s major powers in the IOR despite the waters being far from their shores. “Unlike the Atlantic and Pacific, few of the major powers are geographically contiguous to its waters and yet they have maintained a certain military presence and abiding politico-diplomatic interest in these waters,” Shri Antony said. “In the Indian Ocean Region, the net outcome is a constant turbulence of intense diplomatic activity and substantial military investments by the major powers,” he added.
Following is the full text of the Minister’s address on the occasion:
“It is a pleasure to address such a distinguished audience on the occasion of the Annual Maritime Power Conference of the National Maritime Foundation, India’s premier maritime think-tank. Your presence and participation in this event will enrich the Conference, which aims to deliberate over the contours of the Indian Ocean challenges and examine cooperative structure.
The maritime space on our earth comprises the three navigable oceans – the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. As the global economic pendulum swings eastwards and Asia is on the move, the strategic importance of the extended Indian Ocean Region, or the IOR, has been increasing in the recent decades. Major powers of the world, who had maintained their focus over the Atlantic-Pacific region during the Cold War decades, are now seeing the relevance of the Indian Ocean-Pacific or the Indo-Pacific combine in a new light.
There are many distinctive aspects of the Indian Ocean and its multi-faceted littoral – the IOR. The challenges are many, from the conventional strategic imperatives to the trade, energy and humanitarian determinants. The flip side of ‘challenges’, being ‘opportunities’, it is good that the National Maritime Foundation Annual Conference has brought together the maritime stakeholders to ponder over these possibilities.
India has always been at the forefront of cooperative and collective endeavours in addressing regional and global challenges. In this regard, the IOR offers many opportunities to identify cooperative and equitable solutions through consensus from sustained deliberations. While the stated positions of governments on many of these issues will provide the basic template, conferences of this nature should also enable some innovative and out-of-the-box thinking.
The Indian Ocean Region is a critical hub for trade and energy transfers. At least 40 per cent of the sea-borne trade, 50 per cent of its container traffic and 70 per cent of the traffic in hydro-carbon products transit through the region. Therefore, its emergence as a peaceful and stable region will enhance its own prosperity and also add to the global well being.
The diversity and disparities of the Indian Ocean Region are reflected in its demographics, socio-economic and related human security indications, governance structures and the contestation between modernity and traditional rhythms. The region has seen new partnerships being forged, old anxieties being revived and the aspirations of its vast human resource manifesting in myriad manner. The region, also unfortunately hosts many of the global concerns. This makes the Indian Ocean a complex domain. Unlike the Atlantic and Pacific, few of the major powers are geographically contiguous to its waters and yet they have maintained a certain military presence and abiding politico-diplomatic interest in these waters. The principal need is to manage the oceanic domain, in keeping with the normative principles of international law and the evolving norms for the ‘global commons’. In the Indian Ocean Region, the net outcome is a constant turbulence of intense diplomatic activity and substantial military investments by the major powers.
Apart from the strategic and military dimensions, the IOR is identified with many distinctive human security related features. A large cross-section of humanity that inhabits the IOR, or its hinterland, is grappling with crushing impoverishment, the dreaded ‘dollar a day’ syndrome. Concurrently, natural disasters, pernicious piracy, food shortages, environmental degradation, shrinking fish reserves, maritime boundary disputes and climate-induced migration also characterise the IOR.
None of these challenges can be addressed, or redressed by a single state, and hence the opportunity that presents itself for cooperative solutions and endeavour in the IOR. The December 2004 Tsunami is illustrative of the scale of the challenge and the collective effort came together. It is gratifying to note that the lessons learnt from the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) will be discussed at this Conference. In fact, I would suggest that all the nations and navies represented here document their respective Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operational experiences – and highlight the best practices and lessons learnt and share them with each other.
Over the years, India has taken up two security-related cooperative initiatives, the first is the MILAN series that brings together regional navies in Port Blair and the second, is the more recent IONS that provides a forum for the Chiefs of the Navy of the IOR littorals to constructively engage one another. The former has got well established since inception in 1995 and I am very happy to learn that its tenth edition held earlier this month was a resounding success. The latter has progressed from its inaugural edition here in New Delhi to 2008 to Abu Dhabi in 2010 and is now headed to Cape Town six weeks from now. This open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues seeks to enhance cooperation among the IOR navies.
Speaking of the cooperative effort that we seek to strengthen in the Indian Ocean Region – it is a matter of great satisfaction for India that the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard have been contributing to the ‘common good’ as it were – and to the collective security effort. Ever since the Indian Navy joined the anti-piracy effort in the IOR in the late 2008, the total number of merchant ships escorted has increased steadily. What is significant is that more than 85 per cent of the ships escorted by the Indian Navy are of foreign flag. Yet, piracy cases are continuing at an alarming rate. Clearly, the challenge of piracy is yet to be effectively quarantined. There is a consensus that while the pirates can be neutralised at sea, the real solution lies in addressing the root causes, which are complex and are actually located on land. If ever there was a need for consensual and cooperative effort, it is in relation to piracy and India has put forward certain proposals at the United Nations. I am very happy to see that your conference has devoted an entire half a day session to deliberate over this issue. I would like the distinguished delegates to take into account that challenges posed by extremist ideologies, terrorism support and the scourge of the non-state entity, require assessments to be objective and candid for their solutions to be effective.
I would now like to touch upon another issue relevant to IOR. Climate change and the adverse impact of rise in sea-level will have on the smaller islands in the IOR is truly a matter of serious concern. This issue needs a comprehensive scientific study and is linked to the larger global effort on how best to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. The possible melting of the polar ice caps will have tectonic consequences for our understanding of what maritime domains constitute ‘navigable’ oceans of the world. Specific to Asia and the Indian Ocean Region, there may be a need to reassess concepts like choke-points and critical sea lines of communication (SLOCs). Without being unduly alarmed, I want to encourage this forum to address this issue holistically, share your knowledge and pool together resources wherever possible. Global warming, climate change and the rhythm of monsoons are linked with the health of the entire maritime domain. This is a subtle, complex, non-linear linkage which merits serious attention. Any imbalance in this matrix can have irreversible and unanticipated adverse consequences for human security in the entire Indian Ocean Region. I urge the climate change and oceanography scientists in this gathering to review this matter.
With these words, I wish all the participants, stimulating and enriching deliberations at the Conference. I am sure that your combined quest for cooperative solutions to the challenges in the Indian Ocean Region will be meaningful. The discussions would be another step towards equitable peace and sustainable prosperity in a secure Indian Ocean Region.”
Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India
