Maritime domain an important medium for mutually beneficial collaboration

INDIA: Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project came to be discussed at the seminar held in New Delhi on Monday, December 11 with the participants coming from India and Sri Lanka.

Participants at the seminar on Indo-Sri Lanka Maritime Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges" recognised that the maritime domain constitutes an important medium for mutually beneficial collaboration between the two neighbouring countries.

The speakers at this seminar also identified the practical measures that may be taken specially with regard to combating maritime threats posed by non-state actors, for the joint management of the environment including in the region of Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project, and for the exchange of scientific and other data pertaining to living and non living marine resources.

The possibility of establishing a joint fisheries commission to commercially exploit in a sustainable and mutually beneficial manner the maritime fisheries resources of the two countries, was mooted.

The seminar covered a wide range of subjects, including the security dimension, the potential for collaboration for the sustainable exploitation of living and non-living marine resources, and the cooperation required for the protection and preservation of the maritime environment.

A range of senior Indian and Sri Lankan personalities from the governmental and the non-governmental sectors and academia participated in the seminar.

At the New Delhi end, the National Maritime Foundation of India was responsible for conceptually developing the seminar and then hosting it. At the Colombo end, the Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law and Order was the lead agency involved in arranging for Sri Lanka's contribution to the seminar.

The inaugural address was delivered by former Foreign Secretary of India Shyam Saran, while keynote addresses were delivered by Admiral Sureesh Metha, Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy and by High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in India Romesh Jayasinghe.

The concluding speech was by former Defence Minister of India K. C. Pant. For the Sri Lanka side, Dr. Champa Amarasiri, Director-General of NARA presented a paper on the theme of "Marine Resource Exploitation, Building Partnerships'.

The Head of the Industrial Technology Institute, Dr. A.M. Mubarak, submitted a paper on "Environmental Challenges", while Rear Admiral T.S.G. Samarasinghe of the Sri Lanka Navy in this paper dealt with the subject of "Sustainable Cooperative Security; Challenges and Options" Dr. John Gooneratne's paper dealt with "Sri Lankan Prognosis and Outlook".

From the Indian side, three papers were presented, namely on "Offshore Oil and Gas Exploring Joint Development" by I.L. Budhiraja, "Indian Prognosis and Outlook" by Prof. V. Suryanarayan and "India's Secretary Concerns and Response" by Vice Admiral P.S. Das. The National Maritime Foundation in its capacity as host of the Seminar, would be presenting the outcome of the proceedings to the concerned authorities on both sides.