‘Fostering strategic maritime partnerships’ underlines this year's forum
Exploring ways of fostering stronger partnerships to counter maritime threats and challenges was the main focus at 'Galle Dialogue 2016' held this week at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo. In its 7th consecutive year, this year’s theme was ‘Fostering Strategic Maritime Partnerships.’ The two-day conference organised by the Ministry of Defence and the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), was attended by 132 delegates representing 42 countries and 12 International Organisations, with President Maithripala Sirisena as chief guest at the inaugural session on November 28. .
"Conferences such as the 'Galle Dialogue' were designed to emphasise the importance of establishing partnerships to address maritime threats and challenges," noted SLN Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, in his welcome remarks.
He pointed out that, the SLN had gained valuable experience in fighting maritime terrorism for nearly 30 years.
“The SLN is more than happy to foster partnerships with others to share our experience. Such partnerships will assure freedom of navigation, secure sea routes for trade, economic prosperity, and stability,” he stressed.
"The Indo-Asia Pacific region was fast becoming the center of gravity in world affairs. The Indian Ocean and its affairs, therefore, play a vital role in today’s global interactions, observed State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene.
“I strongly believe that our future lies very much in the Oceans that surround us. If you take Sri Lanka as an example, we have identified the huge potential that is vested in the seas around us.”
Many of the speakers at the conference pointed to the strategic maritime importance of the Asian region and also to Sri Lanka’s importance within that region. The region, known to some as the AsiaPacific region, should best be described as the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, as it more accurately captures the fact that, the Indian and Pacific Oceans are the economic lifeblood linking the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Australia, Northeast Asia, Oceania, and the United States together," argued Commander of US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris. “Oceans that once were physical and psychological barriers that kept us apart are now maritime superhighways that bring us together,” he observed.
The Admiral, the first 4-star American officer to visit Sri Lanka in almost a decade, also touched on the strategic partnership between the two nations. “The Indian Ocean matters to the United States. Sri Lanka matters to the United States. And I believe that the United States matters to Sri Lanka.”
Admiral Harris called for more information sharing between Navies and law enforcement, at both national and regional level, to build what he termed a “common operating procedure” that will foster a foundation for common responses to maritime challenges.
A range of maritime threats and challenges faced by countries in the region and beyond were discussed at the conference. These included concerns regarding global terrorism and the influence of groups such as ISIS in the region, illegal fishing, piracy, gunrunning, drug smuggling and people smuggling. Cooperative action between various nation States in the region has brought encouraging results in tackling some of these threats. For example, Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, Admiral Sunil Lanba, pointed out that, such maritime cooperation regarding anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden had resulted in piracy incidents in the region being brought down to zero since 2014. Meanwhile, Commander, Maritime Border Command of the Australian Navy, Rear Admiral Peter Laver, explained how inter-agency and regional cooperation helped track down and detain several vessels engaged in illegal fishing. All the ships had belonged to a criminal syndicate operating from Europe.
Other key areas where cooperation between States was discussed included disaster relief and challenges posed by climate change, which is predicted to have a severe impact on the region in the coming years.