IONS Commences at South Africa

The IONS Symposium 2012 was inaugurated at Cape Town, South Africa by the Honorable Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Government of South Africa on 11 Apr 2012. The Indian Navy is being represented at this event by Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of the Naval Staff. On the first day of the conference, he chaired the first panel discussion, the theme for which was ‘Indian Ocean – Center Stage for the 21st Century’. Admiral Verma, during his summing up remarks, highlighted the contributions being made by the Indian Navy in addressing issues of collective maritime security such as anti-piracy operations. In this context, with the aim of reducing the probability of a repetition of the incident related to the shooting of innocent fisherman of Kochi, he mentioned the necessity for a clear demarcation of piracy affected waters based on ground realities. He also stressed upon the necessity for IONS to formulate a set of deliverables such as Standard Operating Procedures on issues related to Maritime Security that would make it easier for member nations to come together in times of a crisis. The remarks of Admiral Verma were well received and will be taken up for further discussion during the ‘Conclave of Chiefs’ in the next few days.