Bangalore: Concerned at growing sea piracy in the Indian Ocean, particularly off the Horn of Africa, the Indian Ocean RIM - Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) on Tuesday pledged to jointly combat the menace through sharing of information and technical assistance. In the Bengaluru Declaration of the 19-member regional grouping, it said it shared concern over the prevailing situation regarding maritime security in the Indian Ocean, particularly at the growing level of piracy off the Horn of Africa which posed a threat to international and regional navigation, maritime commerce and the safety of sea farer`s.
The India chaired grouping of which Seychelles became the 19th member today fully supported the international efforts at the UN and the several initiatives at the regional level as well as the Contact Group on piracy of the coast off Somalia, which is coordinating anti-piracy efforts.
"We committed ourselves to cooperate fully through sharing of information and through technical assistance to jointly combat this menace," the declaration adopted at the Council of Ministers` Meeting of the 11th IOR-ARC here said. "We noted that stabilisation of Somalia will contribute to dealing with piracy in the region. As members take practical steps consistent with international law to combat piracy, we agreed that IOR-RIM could serve as an effective vehicle for sharing information, experience and best practices," it said.
At the Bangalore meet, India took over as the Chair of the grouping which also comprises Yemen, Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the UAE and Seychelles. PTI