Next week's IORA meet may discuss trade, maritime issues

The thirteenth meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), scheduled to be held in Sylhet on June 13-14, is expected to highlight trade and investment facilitation, and safety and security of maritime resources of the region.
Representatives from 23 member countries would attend the event of the bloc, established in 1997 to promote multilateral cooperation for ensuring sustainable development and growth in the region, according to foreign ministry officials.
Other issues likely to come up for discussion are: fisheries management, disaster management, cultural and tourism exchanges, academic science, technical cooperation, blue economy, and women's economic empowerment.
Bangladesh was elected the IORA Chair in 2021 and organised two meetings of the council of ministers and one meeting of senior officials. The Sylhet meeting would be the last one being organised by Bangladesh as its chair.
IORA members are: Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, French Republic, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
All sovereign states of the Indian Ocean Rim are eligible for membership of the Association.
Meanwhile, in response to a Bangladesh's query on the issue of putting the map of undivided India in Indian parliament building, the Indian government said the map represents
the emperor of ancient Indian emperor Ashoka, a foreign ministry spokesperson told the weekly media briefing in Dhaka on Thursday.
The Indian government added that the map was put in the new parliament building to showcase the accountable and growth-oriented regime of the king Ashoka, he added.

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