The 6th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) ended in the city on Saturday, emphasising the need for greater cooperation among member countries to tap into the immense potential of the region.
The conference was attended by top government officials, diplomats, academicians, and civil society members, who also stressed that understanding among members is crucial to enhance regional cooperation, leading to increased economic growth.
In a press briefing after the conference, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said that Bangladesh is committed to fostering cooperation in trade and security through partnerships to ensure peace and prosperity.
There were several panel discussions on Saturday,
including a session where Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretary General Tenzin Lekphell addressed the attendees.
He said that discussions are ongoing to reach an agreement on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
He said the foreign secretaries are specifically discussing this FTA agreement among the seven BIMSTEC countries. "This is something that BIMSTEC countries were founded on, and it is a core sector for BIMSTEC. And now, we need to take it forward."
"The member states have tried to come together and negotiate but I understand that the trade involves a lot of negotiations," he said.
He, however, stated that BIMSTEC is now trying to discuss with member states on some other trade areas such as trade facilitation, customs, and other related topics, instead of going for the FTA.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US State Department Afreen Akhter said that the US absolutely welcomed the Indo-Pacific Outlook announced by Bangladesh.
"When Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen was in Washington recently for the Partnership Dialogue with the United States, Under Secretary Nuland reiterated that message," she added.
"We see strong alignment across a whole host of friends. There was reference to support for rules based order in the Indo Pacific, also reference to supporting connectivity and infrastructure. So we think that there's strong alignment and we really supported and look forward to helping Bangladesh implement its vision" she added.
The United States' Indo-Pacific strategy makes clear that our vision for a shared cost of our positive vision for sure cannot be achieved without working in partnership with all of the countries here to build collective capacity, she said.
Secretary General of SAARC Esala Ruwan Weerakoon underscored the need for facilitating technology transfer, capacity building, and information access.
"It is imperative that we get your attention to the threats posed by climate change and the degrading environment and work in tandem to ensure responsible growth and sustainable development while living in harmony with nature," the SAARC secretary general said.
The time is now ripe for all of us to focus on attaining sustainable peace and prosperity across the region, he added.
He said a more secure, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indian Ocean region would greatly contribute to fostering peace, stability, and development in the region and beyond.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam said that the Rohingya issue was also discussed in the conference as some speakers suggested that regional countries should come forward more proactively to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said that Bangladesh's image was brightened in the international arena through hosting this conference.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com
