AMN /
India and 20 other countries today adopted a declaration on counter-terrorism and an Action Plan in the first Summit of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in Jakarta.
During the summit, leaders of member countries, including Vice President Hamid Ansari, adopted a Concord which outlined a number of areas for cooperation. It includes maritime safety and security, trade and investment, sustainable and responsible fisheries, disaster management and tourism and culture. The member states also vowed to cooperate closely to exploit the maritime region for economic benefits.
Addressing the gathering of leaders, Vice president Hamid Ansari has said that Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) should show zero tolerance towards state sponsored terrorism.
He expressed India’s commitment in tackling terrorism. He urged Leaders of IORA to help each other by sharing intelligence, and to secure cyberspace to minimize use of Internet and social media for terrorist activities.
To boost the academic activity and research, the Vice president proposed to set up “IORA Centre of excellence (ICE)” in India. The Centre would help pool resources from member states to boost further co operation.
India along with other member countries in a historic step signed IORA concord and action plan which would further strengthen co operation among Indian Ocean Littoral state.
