Foreign Secretary’s Remarks at the Goa Maritime Conclave on ‘Maritime Security and Emerging Non Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive Role for IOR Navies’, Naval War College, Goa, November 08, 2021

Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, Admiral Karambir Singh
Defence Secretary of India, Dr. Ajay Kumar
Assistant Chief of Naval Staff Operations of Bangladesh, Rear Admiral M Ashraful Haq
Commander of the Comorian Coast Guard, Cdr Moudjib-Rahmane Adaine
Commander of the Naval Staff and Command College of Indonesia, Rear Admiral Tunggul Suropati
Chief of the Malagasy Navy, Rear Admiral GA Jacquy Honore
Chief of Defence Force, MNDF of Maldives, Maj Gen Abdulla Shamaal
Captain Saharudin Bin Bongsu RMN from Royal Malaysian Navy
Acting Commissioner of Police of Mauritius, Mr. Anilkumarsing DIP
Commander in Chief of Myanmar, Admiral Moe Aung
Chief of Defence of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces, Brig Michael Anselme Marc Rosette
Chief of Singapore Navy, Rear Admiral Aaron Beng
Commander of the Navy, Sri Lankan Navy, Vice Admiral DNS Ulugentenne
Defence Attache, Embassy of Thailand, Capt. Jakarin Khowrat, RTN

It is a great privilege for me to speak to you at the 3rd edition of the Goa Maritime Conclave. I would like to congratulate the Chief of Naval Staff for hosting this important event which brings together our close friends in the Indian Ocean Region. I would also like to thank him for providing me this opportunity to interact with this eminent audience of admirals and senior maritime security leaders. I take this opportunity to extend my warm greetings to the Navy Chiefs and other senior officials attending the conclave from our partner countries in the Indian Ocean region.

2. Seapower, to paraphrase the famed naval thinker, Alfred Thayer Mahan, has always influenced history. Empires have risen and fallen as they lost command of the seas. The Persians never really recovered from the naval battle with the Greek city-states at Salamis. The Ottoman empire was checked at Lepanto in 1571. Trafalgar, in 1805, marked the beginning of the end for Napoleon. American naval supremacy in the Pacific began with their legendary victory in Midway in 1942. The British empire was made possible by Britannia ruling the waves.

3. India’s historical experience recounts regular and steady maritime interactions from Zanzibar off the coast of Africa, to the shores of the Arabian peninsula, all the way through the Andaman Sea to the mainland and islands of South East Asia. People, faiths, ideas, mythologies, art, architecture - and goods - have always moved back and forth.

4. We do not just share geography and experience. We are also partners in one of the most exciting economic transformations in history. This is the century of Asia and Africa. The Indian Ocean Region is a space that both these continents share. It bridges two very consequential economic spaces.

5. As countries of the Indian Ocean Region, we also inhabit a particular contemporary geopolitical and geoeconomic reality. We are a part of the greater Indo-Pacific space. This is a construct that has, for very good reason, attracted much diplomatic and strategic attention.

6. It is at the center of a defining strategic event of our time - an ongoing rebalancing. The rapid growth of Asia’s share in global output, the business prowess of Asian companies and the growing Asian technological abilities are driving the global economic center of gravity to the East.

7. Change of this nature is bound to have geopolitical and geoeconomic consequences and generate a power transition. The transition is manifest in the waning of the "unipolar moment” following the end of the Cold War and in the emergence of a multipolar world.

Friends,

8. Empirically speaking, crises accelerate transitions and the emergence of new realities. The Covid pandemic is certainly the greatest shock in the memories of our generation. It locked down an entire planet, destroyed lives, claimed livelihoods, closed schools and educational institutes, and accentuated faultlines in many enviromments.

9. Paradoxically, this is also a moment of opportunity. Empirically speaking again, all crises are succeeded by periods of growth.

10. The Great Depression and the Second World War were followed by sustained economic growth. Major health crises have led to investments in medical science and public health that have transformed our lives.

11. Major economies are on the rebound.

12. Automation, computers and information technology have allowed introduction of efficiencies and scale that boggle the mind.

13. Vaccines have been researched, tested, manufactured and deployed on a historically unprecedented scale.

Friends,

14. Maritime transport and logistics are a major component of the Blue Economy. It is of particular importance to us in this room. Half of the world’s container ships, one third of the world’s bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of the world’s oil shipments traverse the Indian Ocean Region.

15. The pandemic has highlighted both the opportunity and the vulnerabilities of this sector. It has been pointed out that modern container vessels lift a greater tonnage, and move greater distances much more quickly, than the entire merchant fleets of nations a few centuries ago. The historian Yuval Noah Hariri has written that in 1582, the English merchant fleet had a total carrying capacity of 68,000 tons and required about 16,000 sailors. There are vessels in operation today that can carry 200,000 tonnes and require a crew of 22. A supertanker can carry more than a million barrels of oil with a crew of approximately the same size.

16. As we all know, these massive logistical capacities cushioned some of the impacts of the pandemic.

17. We have, however, now become painfully aware that the economic rebound is being stressed by shipping delays and shortages of containers.

18. This combination of opportunity and vulnerability is something that we will have to accommodate in our priorities and policies and to build in resilience, sustainability and reliability in our supply chain.

Friends,

19. The pandemic has also highlighted another imperative of a multipolar world – the need to work together. Rebalancing is leading to a dispersal of capacities, including to nations that are represented in this audience. Every one of us present here have a growing ability to come up with common solutions to common problems.

20. That means we are able to do more together.

21. We have already been pooling our efforts. All the nations represented at this Conclave are members of either the Indian Ocean Rim Association or of BIMSTEC. Several are members of both.

22. Both IORA and BIMSTEC have a strong focus, relevant to this conclave, on maritime security.

23. The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, similarly, has working groups on HADR, Maritime Security and Information sharing and inter-operability.

Friends,

24. Security in the context of foreign policy or diplomacy has traditionally been associated with countering external security threats - primarily military. Historically, diplomatic efforts to improve security have been about negotiating security alliances.

25. We now operate on the basis of an expanded concept of human security that takes a broader view.

26. We are in the process of devising a new set of measures and arrangements that reflect this understanding of security. They are based less on the traditional concept of a military alliance and more on a cooperative approach, on prevention, on sharing of information, and, on promoting inter-operability across state borders.

27. Many of these cooperative activities that we undertake are in the policing and law-enforcement spheres.

28. It is my belief that these measures are more appropriate to the newer and rapidly evolving threat matrix that we are confronted with.

Friends,

29. An audience like this would also appreciate that new threats and security challenges are continuously emerging.

30. Non-traditional threats and new technologies have combined to form a whole new spectrum of sub-conventional security threats and problems.

31. New players have also emerged. Transnational crime syndicates conduct human trafficking, smuggling, narcotics and IUU operations on an expanded scale. They have, in effect, become non-state actors working diligently to diminish security and well-being in the region.

32. The blue economy potential of the region has, while creating opportunity and prosperity, generated vulnerabilities.

33. Irresponsible fishing is damaging our food security.

34. More commerce means more accidents. It means more pollution such as those caused by oil spills.

35. The blue economy supports and increased number of coastal economic and population centres. Natural disasters can and do affect them.

36. They also provide targets for terrorists, supported and encouraged by the resources of governments. Using the oceans to move and infiltrate, they threaten offshore and coastal assets.

37. Such terrorists tend to combine with transnational criminals. These alliances escalate instability and violence levels exponentially.

38. Another set of challenges arises from geopolitical volatilities. A lack of commitment to settled international law has led to an increased militarization of the region. Militarization always adds to complexities.

39. The Indian Ocean Region, it is quite obvious, will face an increasingly complicated, rapidly evolving, and more demanding security situation, with an ever increasing battery of threats and uncertainties.

Friends,

40. This requires all of us, and in particular the navies, the coast guards and the maritime security agencies of this region, to do more together.

41. India stands ready and willing to do its share – and more – in tackling these problems.

42. We cannot anticipate each and every problem that will arise. We can however work on strengthening the structures, the understandings, the procedures, and the resources, that are deployed. This will enable us to better manage known problems. It will also enable us to create a "surge” capacity to deal with the unknown.

43. I have referred to some of the plurilateral and cooperative structures with a focus on maritime security that are in place and are growing.

44. A number of specific areas of cooperation have shown encouraging results. They point towards directions in which we can intensify joint efforts, leverage each other’s strengths, and generate synergies.

45. Domain awareness is central to any preventive security strategy. The joint coastal radar surveillance systems that India has worked on with Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Maldives and Seychelles; the India-Bangladesh MoU on coastal radars; information fusion centers and multilateral maritime coordination centers in India, in Abu Dhabi, Seychelles and in Madagascar; and, White Shipping Information Exchange agreements, have, we can agree, improve not just domain awareness, but also the security situation.

46. Anti-piracy patrols in the Indian Ocean, in the waters of the Middle East and Africa, and the maritime coordinated patrolling agreements with Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, also improve security and understanding.

47. We have worked and are willing to work with partners on improving EEZ surveillance.

48. We are willing to work with partners in upgrading maritime hardware and software. We have supplied equipment, vessels and aircraft to friends like Vietnam, Mozambique, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

49. We have also worked together to conduct training programmes, workshops and seminars and deploy mobile training teams.

50. Institutional dialogues between maritime security agencies in partner countries help build relationships and processes that contribute to improvement of security related outcomes. An increasing number of such dialogues are taking place.

51. Dialogues and other mechanisms help in the generation of SOPs and promotion of interoperability. The maritime security conclave involving India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and other regional partners is one such example.

52. They also add to the number and scope of joint activities and exercises. IORA members have participated and continue to participate in a number of exercises to jointly enhance their capabilities.

53. Exercises, such as those on Pollution Control and Maritime Search and Rescue, test SOPs, generate more of them and augment interoperability.

54. These have helped Indian teams in combating maritime pollution incidents in Mauritiun and Sri Lanka waters in the recent past.

Friends,

55. The pandemic demonstrated, like few other events could, the importance of our capacity to mount HADR operations, and assist each other.

56. India has been called upon to respond to situations in our extended neighbourhood. This is a demonstration of solidarity with partners and of commitment to the principles of humanitarianism. India also believes that alleviating suffering is central to reducing insecurity and building trust and confidence in keeping with our philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or the world is one family.

57. Some recent operations conducted by India include those in Sri Lanka following Cyclone Roanu in 2016 and floods in 2017; in 2017 and 2018 to assist Bangladesh which had received large number of displaced persons from Rakhine State in Myanmar; following natural disasters in this region such as Cyclones Sidr, Nargis, Phailin, and Mora. India has deployed assets for HADR operations in an arc that extends from Banda Aceh to Indonesia, and even further beyond to Fiji, all the way to Mozambique.

58. Instability, insecurity and humanitarian crises have also forced us to conduct a number of complex and demanding evacuation operations.

59. More recently, our hosts, the Indian Navy, launched Mission Sagar during the pandemic to Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, Sudan, SouthSudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Comoros.

60. India also deployed Rapid Response teams during this period to several countries, including Comoros, Kuwait, Maldives, and Mauritius.

61. India provided critical healthcare products, including vaccines, often in the face of daunting logistical challenges, to 150 countries.

62. You would be happy to note that India is committed to supplying vaccines to our partners, including those in the region. PM Narendra Modi announced at the G-20 Summit, India’s plan to manufacture 5 billion vaccines in 2022.

Friends,

63. The operational and institutional framework to respond to the challenges being discussed in this very important conclave requires a normative basis.

64. India is currently serving a non-permanent tenure in the United Nations Security Council. During our Presidency of the UN Security Council in August this year, the Prime Minister chaired a high level open debate on Maritime Security.

65. I would like to quote from his remarks that explain our thinking at the highest level. The Prime Minister said that "The ocean is our joint heritage. Our sea routes are the lifeline of international trade. And, the biggest thing is that these oceans are very important for the future of our planet.But today our shared maritime heritage is facing many challenges. Sea routes are being misused for piracy and terrorism. There are maritime disputes between many countries. And climate change and natural disasters are also maritime domain related issues. In this broad context, we must make a framework of mutual understanding and cooperation for the preservation and use of our common maritime heritage. No country can make such a framework alone. It can only be realized through a common effort.”

66. The Prime Minister went on to place five principles that define our approach to maritime security. These are:-

• Removal of barriers for legitimate maritime trade;

• Settlement of maritime disputes peacefully and only on the basis of international law;

• Collectively address natural disasters and maritime threats by non-state actors;

• Preserving maritime environment and maritime resources by addressing ocean pollution, oil-spills, over-fishing, and increasing cooperation in ocean science; and,

• Encourage responsible maritime connectivity based on sustainability and absorption capacity of countries.

67. Delegates might also be familiar with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) wherein India called for a free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific, based upon respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and adherence to international rules and laws.

68. India’s concept of the Indo Pacific is inclusive in nature, and supports an approach that respects the right to freedom of navigation and overflight for all in the international seas.

69. India’s Indo Pacific vision is premised upon the principle of ‘ASEAN-Centrality’.

70. India’s approach is based on cooperation and collaboration, given the need for shared responses to shared challenges in the region.

Friends,

71. The approach to maritime security articulated by Prime Minister, the vision of SAGAR, and the central ideas underlying our bilateral and plurilateral initiatives, constitute a complementary set of principles. These, together, with India’s commitment to UNCLOS and customary law of the seas, provide a direction and a framework for efforts to enhance public good in the Indian Ocean Region and the broader Indo-Pacific.

Friends,

72. In conclusion, I would like to repeat again what the Prime Minister said at the UN Security Council that the creation of a framework can be made by any one country and that it requires a common effort.

73. I began by referring to the importance of seapower and to the moment of opportunity for all us in the Indian Ocean Region to benefit from shifting economic currents.

74. Prosperity, and the well-being of our people, is built on the foundation of law and order and security. A new cooperative architecture for our common maritime space that ensures security for its inhabitants, driven by our realities, and our aspirations to lead better lives, is necessary to grasp this opportunity.

75. Opportunities tend to have expiry dates. We must, as fellow travelers in a voyage, work swiftly to ride these momentarily favorable tides and currents. If we are able to do so, we in the Indian Ocean Region, through common effort, may be able to set ourselves on a trajectory to improved futures.

76. I would like to end by quoting the motto of our hosts, the Indian Navy, "Sam no Varuna” and invoke the blessings of the mighty Varuna, the Lord of the Seas, on the participants of the conclave, the forces and agencies they represent, and on the proceedings of this conclave.

Thank you.

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