The IONS seminar was held from 11th to 12th January 2016 under the theme, ‘Fostering Partnership in IOR: Charting Course for Maritime Cooperative Engagement’ while its Conclave attended by the Navy Chiefs of IONS member and observer nations is scheduled for today (Jan.13).

The fifth biennial event is being hosted by the Bangladesh Navy, which will hold the IONS chairmanship for the next two years. During the high profile event, the Commander of the Navy was able to meet a number of high ranking defence and naval officials and hold fruitful discussions of bilateral importance, enhancing mutual cooperation and strengthening existing partnerships, the Navy media reported. They included the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Scott Swift, the Chief of Naval Staff of the Bangladesh Navy, Vice Admiral Muhammad Farid Habib, the Chief of Navy of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), Vice Admiral Yutaka Murakawa, the Chief of the South African Navy, Vice Admiral M.S. Hlongwane, the Commander of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayari, the Chief of the United Arab Emirates Navy, Rear Admiral Ibrahim Salim Mohamed Al Musharrakh and the Joint Commander of the French Force deployed in the Indian Ocean, Rear Admiral Antoine Beaussant.

IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region. It provides an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues. At present, IONS has 22 members and 04 observer navies and maritime security agencies.