Indian Coast Guard Chief Rakesh Pal attends Asian Coast Guard meeting in Turkey

In the meeting coast guard heads of 17 Asian countries, Hong Kong and two international organisations, The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) participated in the meeting.

The event was inaugurated by Mehmet Saglam, Deputy Minister of Interior of Turkey, informed Indian Coast Guard officials on X.

HACGAM (Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting) established in 2004 includes the following member states: Australia, Bahrein, Bangladesh, Brunei, Philippines, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea, Laos, Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

Furthermore, while the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia- Information Sharing Center (ReCAAP-ISC) participates in the forum as an associate member, institutions such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and Bali Process participate as observers.

19th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Leaders Meeting (HACGAM)" is hosted by Turkey from September 5-8, 2023.

The meetings are an annual affair and hosted by one of the members in rotation. HACGAM is an independent organisation with 23 member Coast Guard Agencies and 02 associate members in theform of ReCAAP and UNODC.

HACGAM aims at the construction and development of capabilities in coast guard organisations for the Asian region through working level discussion on overall maritime safety, security and environment protection issues, having in mind that the cooperation fostered by the constant efforts of HACGAM member organisations is effective to promote safe and secure maritime environment and cleaner seas in the region, as well as good relationship and mutual trust.

The 18th HACGAM High-Level Meeting was held in New Delhi, India between 14-18 October 2022. (ANI)