IONS Maritime Exercise 2022 | 31 Mar 2022

Why in News?

The maiden edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX-22) was conducted at Goa and in the Arabian Sea.

What is IMEX-22?

  • The exercise witnessed participation of 15 out of the 25 member nations of IONS.
  • The aim of the exercise was to enhance interoperability in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations among member navies.
  • The exercise is seen as a significant stepping stone for regional navies to collaborate and respond collectively to natural disasters in the region and paves way for further strengthening regional cooperation.

What is the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium?

  • IONS is a premier forum for cooperation and collaboration among navies of littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.
    • The inaugural IONS Seminar was held in New Delhi in February, 2008.
  • It is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.
  • There are 36 littoral states in the Indian Ocean which have been geographically grouped into the following four sub-regions.
    • South Asian Littorals - Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka
    • West Asian Littorals - Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen
    • East African Littorals - Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eriteria, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan and Tanzania
    • South East Asian and Australian Littorals - Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste.
  • The forum has enabled discussions on regional maritime issues, promoted friendly relationships, and significantly improved maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region.
  • It endeavours to generate a flow of information between naval professionals that would lead to common understanding and possibly cooperative solutions on the way ahead.

What are the Other Important Groupings/Initiatives Associated with IOR?

  • Colombo Security Conclave: The CSC, which was formed in 2011 as a trilateral maritime security grouping of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, is expanding. It recently welcomed Mauritius as a fourth member.
  • Indian Ocean Rim Association: It was established in 1997. It is aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region.
  • Indian Ocean Commission: Recently, India has been approved as an observer of the Indian Ocean Commission, the inter-governmental organization that coordinates maritime governance in the south-western Indian Ocean.
  • Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR): It was launched in 2015. Through SAGAR, India seeks to deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building their maritime security capabilities.
  • Asia Africa Growth Corridor: The idea of Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) emerged in the joint declaration issued by India and Japan in 2016.
    • The AAGC is raised on four pillars of Development and Cooperation Projects, Quality Infrastructure and Institutional Connectivity, Enhancing Capacities and Skills and People-to-People partnership.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Q. Consider the following in respect of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS): (2017)

  1. Inaugural IONS was held in India in 2015 under the chairmanship of the Indian Navy.
  2. IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (b)

Source: PIB