Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka is willing to take a lead role in organising a conference to bring together all parties concerned to ensure freedom of navigation and peace in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
The Prime Minister who delivered his keynote address at the University of Deakin, Law Faculty on Thursday, said the best way to solve the issues in the IOR would be to formulate a code of conduct for naval ships operating in the region.
The lecture held at the Federal Square in Melbourne, was under the theme ‘Freedom of Navigation in the Indian Ocean’ with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe speaking at the invitation of the Chancellor of the University, Prof John Stanhope.
The Premier also noted that they would have to pay special attention to terrorism and piracy issues in the IOR where the former has increased in recent times to endanger commercial freight and shipping in the region.Taking all these factors into account, the Prime Minister pointed out that there was an increasing need to create special mechanisms to turn the IOR into a peaceful region.
“To achieve such a goal, the best suggestion would be to bring together countries in the IOR, UN Security Council countries and main naval organisations together at a conference. Through such a measure, all parties can resolve their differences and build on their relationships, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said.
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