Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs The Hon Tim Watts MP is in Dhaka to attend the 6th Indian Ocean Conference in Bangladesh which will take place on May 12 and 13.
Prior to his arrival in Dhaka, The Hon Tim Watts MP in a message said:
This week I will travel to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India to strengthen our bilateral cooperation, discuss our shared strategic interests and further Australia’s trade and investment ties. It is also a key opportunity to build on our strong people-to-people links between each of our countries.
I will represent Australia at the 6th Indian Ocean Conference in Bangladesh. The Conference is the flagship forum for key partners in the Indian Ocean region to discuss regional cooperation, growth, and security. This year’s Conference theme is Peace, Prosperity and Partnership for a Resilient Future.
Australia and Bangladesh work closely together to promote our shared interests in regional peace and security, and have a growing trade and investment relationship. I look forward to continuing discussions on our political and economic cooperation while in Bangladesh.
In Bhutan, I will meet with government, community and religious leaders, building on our warm connection and the visit of Bhutan’s Foreign Minister, His Excellency Dr Tandi Dorji to Australia last year. Australia and Bhutan’s diplomatic relations were established 20 years ago, formalising the longstanding friendship between our two countries.
Travelling onwards to Kathmandu, I will discuss opportunities to advance our strong education and people-to-people ties with Nepal, our third largest international student market.
In India, I look forward to formally opening Australia’s Consulate-General in Kolkata, which is the commercial hub and cultural capital of eastern India. The Consulate-General will continue to grow Australia’s trade, investment and education interests in this region.
The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is no longer an idea based on “power equations”, but rather a natural construct based on principles of “inclusivity, comradery, and multi-stakeholderism”, says a document related to the 6th Indian Ocean Conference.
As two responsible states, Bangladesh and India are committed to ensure the rise of a “free, open, inclusive and rules based” IOR, according to the concept note of the conference.
The global order is rapidly evolving, power axis is shifting, and the complacency of the past is making way for greater confidence in future, the document reads.
The IOR has emerged as a microcosm of partnerships, collaborations, bilateral and multilateral dependence.
Mauritius President Prithvirajsing Roopun, minister- and state minister-level delegations from 25 countries including Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will attend the conference.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference at a Dhaka hotel on May 12, 2023.
The prime minister will also host a dinner in honor of the guests.
The 6th edition of the conference is being organized by India Foundation in association with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh.
Home to the most promising economies, the most populous lands, and the most vulnerable islands, the Indian Ocean Region is a testimony to the multifaceted challenges impacting governance in the 21st century.
With a vast reserve of natural resources and supply chain trade routes, the IOR has become an integral part of global strategic thinking.
From Europe to America and Japan to South Korea, all major powers have aligned their global strategic outreach in line with the vision of developing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific Region (FOIP).
With a vision towards mutual growth, prosperity and strengthening of the international community, the 6th IOC will bring together stakeholder nations to discuss and deliberate on the theme of “Peace, Prosperity, and Partnership” for a resilient future.
In light of recent developments, the global community appreciates the expansion of resilience to go beyond economic strength and military might to include in its ambit the challenges posed by rapid climatic deterioration, and the exponential rise of disruptive technologies.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh’s partnership with countries in the Indian Ocean will become stronger through hosting the IOC.
External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar will deliver the keynote address of the evening alongside special addresses by the US Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, and Vice President of Maldives Faisal Naseem.
The inaugural session will also be graced by the presence of Foreign Minister Dr Momen and Foreign Minister of Oman Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi.
The Foreign Minister of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan will be represented by Dr Maliki Osman, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore.
Official delegations led by heads of states/governments, deputy heads, cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and senior officials from 27 countries and multilateral organizations will address the conference on Saturday.
The Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) was started in 2016 and in the last six years it has emerged as the “flagship consultative forum” for countries in the region on regional affairs.
The conference endeavors to bring critical states and principal maritime partners of the region together on a common platform to deliberate upon the prospects of regional cooperation for Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
The first edition of the Indian Ocean Conference was held in Singapore in 2016.
