In a continued attempt to collaborate and partner with the Indian Navy in ensuring safety and security of the Maritime environment. Mr. Anil Kumarsing Dip, PMSM, Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force, participated in the third edition of Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) – 2021 that is being hosted by the Indian Navy from 07 to 09 November 2021.
The theme for this year’s edition of GMC is “Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive Role for IOR Navies”, which has been derived keeping in mind the necessity of ‘winning everyday peace’ in the maritime domain. At the GMC 2021, Indian Navy is hosting Chiefs of Navies/ Heads of Maritime Forces from 12 IOR countries comprising Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
During the three-day conclave, The Chiefs discussed Common Maritime Priorities which will provide the necessary focus to jointly counter common maritime threats in the IOR. The Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force on behalf of Mauritius engaged in high level discussions with Heads of Maritime Countries of the IOR in three panel discussion covering the following topics:-
(a) Imperatives for Mitigating Emerging Non-Traditional Threats in Areas
Beyond National Jurisdictions (ABNJ).
(b) Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE).
(c) Leveraging Collective Maritime Competences to Counter Emerging Non-Traditional Threats.
Mr. AK Dip, Commissioner of Police addressed the Conclave on the Mauritius perspective: “Maritime Security and Countering Non-traditional Maritime Threats”. During his address, the Commissioner brought out the vast expanse of 2.3 Million Sq Km Mauritius EEZ and the associated challenges to counter maritime threats such as Drug trafficking, illegal fishing and marine pollution. He also iterated our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision in support of a regional framework for addressing non-traditional threats through our participation in bilateral and multilateral constructs.
He also acknowledged the invaluable contribution of the Indian Navy incollaborating with Mauritius towards ensuring a safer maritime environment.
The Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force also interacted with Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy during a bi-lateral meeting and discussed the importance of the maritime domain and Indian Navy’s commitment towards ensuring safety, security, and inclusive growth in the IOR.
During the Conclave the Commissioner of Police also interacted with the Defence Secretary of India, Foreign Secretary of India and Chiefs/ Heads of Maritime countries of the IOR that participated in the Conclave.
The Commissioner also gave an interview to the Editor-in-Chief, Indian Naval Despatch (the Flagship journal of the Indian Navy), where he spoke about Mauritius’ participation in regional forums addressing maritime security and, that a collaborative and cooperative approach is imperative towards addressing Maritime Security challenges in the region. Mauritius expects these regional forums to foster greater understanding and interoperability.
The Chiefs/ Heads of Maritime Nations also participated in an exclusive roundtable discussion. A ‘Common Maritime Priorities’ document, acknowledging the need for participating IOR nations to collaborate towards enhancing maritime security was also released.
The conclave demonstrated the joint vision and special bond between India and Mauritius. This is in keeping with the Maritime vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security And Growth for All in the Region) articulated by Shri Narendra Modi, the Honourable Prime Minister of India, in the presence of late Sir Anerood Jugnauth, during the joint commissioning of the Mauritius Coast Guard Ship CGS Barracuda.
