Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) leaders to dedicate themselves to strengthening maritime cooperation for a peaceful and prosperous Indian Ocean.
“Let’s set sail together,” she said delivering her statement in the general debate on “Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable, and Prosperous Indian Ocean Rim” at the IORA Leaders’ Summit at Jakarta Convention Centre in the Indonesian capital, reports BSS.
The premier particularly proposed setting up of a maritime university in Bangladesh to be called Indian Ocean Technical and Vocational University to create a pool of skilled mariners for the region adding Dhaka considered IORA as a “natural habitat for “our efforts to project our aspirations jointly with the nations of the region and beyond”.
“Our quest for development through oceans and seas is a part of our larger efforts to transform Bangladesh along with the rim countries. Let’s dedicate ourselves to strengthening maritime cooperation for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean,” she said.
She said being a littoral country of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean Bangladesh firmly believed that future economic prosperity, food security and social well-being largely depend on sustainable use of its marine resources.
Sheikh Hasina also called upon the IORA leaders to ensure safety and rights of mariners and other oceangoing professionals saying despite their global reputation for skills and dedicated workmanship, seamen and marine engineers sometimes face unwarranted challenges.
“Our ability to reap economic benefits from the ocean depends largely on our capacity to rise above the challenges in the maritime domain,” she said.
Earlier, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has joined the opening ceremony of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders’ Summit in Indonesia.
The first-ever IORA summit formally kicked off in Indonesia Tuesday morning under the theme ‘Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable, and Prosperous Indian Ocean’.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is also the current chairman of IORA, formally opened the summit at Jakarta Convention Center in the presence of heads of state and government of 21 coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean.
President of South Africa Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, President of Yemen Abdrabbu Mansur Hadi, President or Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena, President of Madagascar Hery Rajaonarimampianina, President of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Malaysian Prime Minister Seri Najib Razak, Vice President of Comoros Azali Assoumani, Vice President of Seychelles Vincent Meriton, Prime Minister of Australia Malcom Turnbull also joined the conference.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had reached Indonesian capital Jakarta on Monday afternoon on a three-day official visit.
During the visit, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold bilateral meetings with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.
Indonesian Female Empowerment and Children Protection Minister Yohana Susana and Bangladesh Ambassador to Indonesia Major General Azmal Kabir received Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the Jakarta airport.
After receiving a warm reception, PM Sheikh Hasina went to Hotel Shangri-La at Central Jakarta City in a ceremonial motorcade.
After concluding her three-day visit, PM Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to depart Halim Pardana Kusuma International Airport, Jakarta for Dhaka 10.30 am (local time) on Wednesday by a VVIP flight of Biman (BG1087). The Biman flight carrying the Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at 2.40 pm (BST) the same day.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque and PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim, and a 60-member business delegation, headed by FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmed, are accompanying the Prime Minister.
Source: The Daily Ittefaq
