300 delegates gather in Hanoi to discuss Indian Ocean issues

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The third Indian Ocean Conference opens in Hanoi on August 27 (Photo: VNA)

The event was co-organized by the Indian Foundation and the Academy of Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. 

The two-day event (August 27 and 28), has drawn nearly 300 delegates from 40 countries and territories, including almost 100 Vietnamese officials and scholars. Some 70 reporters from various Vietnamese and foreign news agencies have been present to report on the event.

Various meetings at ministerial and senior official levels were held within the framework of the Conference. Delegates focused their discussions on issues related to emerging regional architecture and promoting cooperation between stakeholder countries in the region. They also urged regional countries to build trust, respect international law and settle disputes in a peaceful manner, while enhancing multilateral cooperation in maritime management and handling non-traditional threats.

In his speech at the opening session, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh highlighted the importance of the connection between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan emphasized that the region still has many cooperation potentials, particularly cooperation on by-sea trade that regional countries should tap. He also stressed the significance of the Indian Ocean in the world’s maritime map.

Delivering his remarks, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Indian Ocean is considered the fate of the world in the 21st century, and that this is a crucial moment for the region to move forward to the sea.