PM prioritises maritime diplomacy, climate coop for Indian Ocean region

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday called for strengthening mutual trust and respect and building partnership among the Indian Ocean region countries along with fostering maritime diplomacy for the region's resilient future.

Inaugurating the two-day Indian Ocean Conference in Dhaka, she also sought active global support to repatriate the Rohingyas to their homeland in a sustainable manner.

"The Indian Ocean holds significant importance for not only Bangladesh, but for all the countries in the region due to its geographical position. I would like to underscore six priority areas at this 6th Indian Ocean Conference. We have recently formulated its Indo-Pacific Outlook," Sheikh Hasina said.

The priorities are fostering maritime diplomacy, enhancing cooperation for climate resilience, strengthening mutual trust, further strengthening maritime safety, promoting culture of peace, and encouraging multilateral systems.

The sixth edition of the conference with the theme "Peace, Partnership and Prosperity: Towards a resilient future" is being organised by India Foundation in association with the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mauritius President Prithvirajsing Roopun, and minister and state minister-level delegations from 25 countries, including Indian external affairs minister, are attending the conference. Besides, some 150 foreign guests, including representatives from D8, Saarc and Bimstec, are taking part in the event. Myanmar was not invited to the conference.

In the inaugural session, Mauritius president Prithvirajsing Roopun, Vice-President of Maldives Faisal Nassem, External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore and Maliki Osman, also spoke.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen spoke virtually while State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam was present on the dais.

Placing the proposals, the prime minister put emphasis on strengthening mutual trust and respect among the member countries for building strong partnerships to ensure stability for a resilient future in the Indian Ocean. She also stressed the need for strengthening the existing mechanisms on maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean, including response to emergencies at sea, conducting search and rescue, and upholding the exercise of freedom of navigation and overflight, in accordance with international law.

She called for promoting the culture of peace and people centric development in the region while women, half of the global population, should get due attention, for building peaceful, just and inclusive societies in the region. She said it is required to promote open, transparent, rules-based multilateral systems that facilitate equitable and sustainable development in the region and beyond through inclusive economic growth.

The prime minister said despite many challenges, Bangladesh provided temporary shelter to more than 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. "This gesture avoided a major humanitarian catastrophe in the region. Now, we seek active support of the global community to repatriate the Rohingya people to their homeland in a safe and sustainable manner."

Bangladesh has been a hub of maritime activities for centuries and it is active in many regional platforms, she said, adding that the country is the current chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association and it is also the current president of the Council of the International Seabed Authority.

She said the region's oceans and seas account for 90% of world trade and 60% of oil transportation and the real value of global maritime trade has remarkably tripled in the past 15 years. "Oceans offer excellent opportunities in supporting sustainable development in countries the world over. Yet much of the potential still remains untapped," she added.

The PM said the Indian Ocean region has significant economic, political, and strategic implications in the Asia-Pacific and African regions. It shares 64% of global population and 60% of global GDP, she said.

The premier said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman underscored optimum utilisation of the nation's maritime resources for its development, growth and stability.

On the theme, she said it becomes all the more relevant in light of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, and consequent sanctions and counter-sanctions, she observed.

In the context of the post-Covid world and the Russia-Ukraine war, she said a resolution titled "International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace, 2023" was adopted unanimously at the UNGA in December 2022.

In line with the quote of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, she said, Bangladesh needs effective "partnership" in the form of meaningful cooperation, dialogue and mutual understanding to achieve its shared objectives of ensuring peace and prosperity in the region.

Quoting Bangabandhu, she said, "Peace is an imperative for the survival of mankind; it represents the deepest aspirations of men and women throughout the world. In that speech, he particularly emphasised on keeping the Indian Ocean as a peaceful area."

She said, "Bangladesh is now the 35th largest economy in the world. Extreme poverty rate has gone down to 5.6% in recent years, and our per capita income has tripled to $2,824 within a decade. Bangladesh has met all of the necessary criteria for graduating from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category to a developing country in 2026."

Sheikh Hasina said they aspire to build "Smart Bangladesh" with robust physical infrastructure to support a thriving economy. "Last year, we inaugurated the self-funded 'Padma Multi-purpose Bridge".

The PM said recently they inaugurated the first-ever Metro Rail service in their capital. "We shall soon complete the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, a 3.2-kilometer under-river tunnel in Chattogram, the first of its kind in South Asia," she added.

"Our aspiration is to transform Bangladesh into a knowledge-based, modern, developed country, the 'Sonar Bangla' by 2041, and to build a prosperous and climate-resilient delta by 2100. Our strategy for achieving these goals involves promoting sustainable economic growth and generating opportunities for all," she said.