Panaji, Nov 8 : India will work with all willing nations for peace in the region and continue to oppose the attempts of aggression and deter them on land and the sea, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar said.

“Maritime domain is so vast and challenges are so diverse that going alone is not an option for practically any country. We welcome all nations which respect rules and shun aggression, to collaborate in our region,” he said, while addressing the Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) here.

Stating that Maritime Security and Economic prosperity were inter-related and inter-dependent from times immemorial, he highlighted India’s engagement and continued efforts towards reaching out to the nations in the region bilaterally and under the framework of IONS, IORA, BIMSTEC, Colombo Security Conclave and other structures.

He also highlighted the Indian initiative of setting up the Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) towards fostering better understanding of the maritime domain and sought further support and participation from maritime countries of the IOR.

Dr Ajay Kumar also lauded the Indian Navy for their contribution in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that it only remained on high vigilance duty safeguarding marine borders but went an extra mile to provide assistance to a large number of IOR littoral nations.

Commending the Indian Navy for saving precious lives at sea during cyclones and other natural calamities, he said the Armed Forces, particularly the Navy in the context of seas, has a cardinal role in not only ensuring safe and peaceful sea lanes, but also responding to humanitarian crises in man-made or natural disaster situations.

“Indian Navy has and will continue to work for HADR in the region as a first responder and net security provider,” he said.

The third edition of Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) – 2021 is being hosted by the Indian Navy under the aegis of Naval War College.(UNI)