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Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Thursday said that the growing realities of the contemporary world, both in geo-political and economic terms, underscore the need for a confluence of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar was speaking on the inaugural day of the fourth edition of Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD), an apex-level international annual conference of the Indian Navy, which is taking place from Wednesday till Friday in New Delhi. The theme of IPRD-2022 is 'Operationalising the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI)', which was articulated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in Bangkok, at the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) on 04 November 2019, the official statement of the Ministry of Defence said. The Navy Chief said, "In navigating our path, there are a number of challenges that need to be overcome. They include imperatives at home, influences from abroad, and intrusive paradigms." He said that imperatives at home not just for India but all include promoting mutual growth and prosperity through inclusive and innovative approach, preserving safe and secure environment across (Indian Ocean) region and protecting against forces which are trying to destabilise the region. Talking about changes, he said influences from outside including reshaping global competition, rebalancing geostrategic equations including increased volatility in global security environment, rising potency of both state and non-state sponsored actors and redefining character of warfare changing like a chameleon. "Intrusive paradigms include niche and disruptive technologies across military and civil, cyber, cognitive domains and their weaponisation using imaginative tools, techniques and targets which are particularly relevant for countries like ours which are free, open and democratic," the Navy Chief said. The Navy Chief said, "These challenges cannot be overcome by one nation alone. Accordingly, the Indo-Pacific region has witnessed the formulation of numerous bilateral, multilateral, minilateral and plurilateral mechanisms, most of which seek a safe, secure and stable Indo-Pacific." IPOI is focused on seven interconnected spokes or pillars: Maritime Security, Maritime Ecology, Maritime Resources, Disaster Risk-reduction and Management, Trade-Connectivity and Maritime Transport, Capacity-building and Resource sharing, and Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation. The Navy Chief said IPOI (Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative) represented broadest framework conceptualised in Indo-Pacific guided by India's vision of it as a free, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous region & reflects India's civilisational ethos of mutual respect, pluralism, co-existence and dialogue. The Navy Chief said, "Being a global initiative, IPOI offers equal opportunities to all stakeholders and respects their sovereignty and freedom of choice." He said this common goal also brings possibilities to converge and collaborate, and to this end, the Indo-Pacific Ocean's Initiative provides an opportunity to synchronise, synergise and channelise our collective efforts. (ANI)
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