Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC yesterday said Sri Lanka remains committed to safe, secure Indian ocean and sustainable use of its maritime resources.
He said that the X-Press Pearl incident is the worst maritime disaster that Sri Lanka has confronted in modern times. “The vessel was carrying a total of nearly 1,500 containers that included cargo with hazardous substances, in addition to about 325 metric tonnes of fuel on board. The said disaster is now considered as the largest ship disaster involving plastic pellets, hazardous and noxious materials, in the world”, the Minister said while addressing the 22nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers in Dhaka yesterday.
He was of the view that the geographic bounding of the incident remains unknown given its developing nature. “A substantial proportion of the plastic pellet pollution will remain mobilized in the ocean for decades to come. Modelling studies suggest that the pellets will make landfall across Indian Ocean coastlines”, he said
The Foreign Minister added that Sri Lanka has implemented a significant number of projects and programmes to ensure that our ocean remains less polluted and more clean following this incident and we have been working with many other countries and international agencies, which deal and address ocean pollution to lessen the negative impact of this disaster.
Excerpts from the speech “Being an island nation, the ocean is never too far from Sri Lanka. Situated right at the centre of the busiest sea lanes of communication in the world, whilst the geography links the country with the Indian Ocean and its destiny are interconnected to this strategic body of water.
For centuries, the Indian Ocean has been part of Sri Lanka’s strategic, security, and political chronicle. From the ancient past to the modern day, Sri Lanka’s key historical lesson from the Indian Ocean is seminally important to global trade, commercial and economic cooperation and augmentation. Sri Lanka’s traditional and ancient links with the countries of the Indian Ocean go back to the second millennium BC. Many forms of evidence have manifested that Sri Lanka’s strategic geographic centrality enabled maritime transactions in terms of both trade and cultural exchanges since, at least, the 2nd Century BCE. Numerous pivotal research and studies on Sri Lanka’s ancient maritime trade have enunciated the flourishing trade based on the “Maritime Silk Route” that connected Europeans, Arabs, Indians and Chinese.
Building up from the past as a country that has demonstrated significant openness to trade, today we are poised and positioned to be one of the major trading hubs in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, Sri Lanka’s commitment for the matters that concern the Indian Ocean remain at the heart of Sri Lanka’s current economic and foreign policy. Through our advancement as an Indian Ocean hub concept, Sri Lanka has emerged as one of the most vital shipping lanes and hubs in the South Asian region since around 2/3rd of the oil and half of the container shipment of the world passes from the Southern part of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, thus has become important for the security of sea lines of communications and in maintaining the freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka’s geographic location and its access to regional markets add immensely to its economic and commercial interests, and as the region has also evolved as a platform for projection of power by major power players.
Furthermore, well endowed with resources, which are yet to be fully explored, exploited and excavated, the Indian Ocean remains today as one of the most sought after research bases for sea bed minerals, fish stock and other ocean resources. As the region is home to many rapidly growing economies, which require energy and other necessities to fuel this growth, we witness increasing global attention to this “sphere of water”, which had been a growing trend in the recent past.
‘I would like to stress that Sri Lanka’s interests in the IORA and the region of the Indian Ocean are of paramount importance for the country. It is with this driving agenda that we will be seeking to assume the Chairmanship of the IORA next year with a firm conviction to further expand and elevate the scope of the organisation to be more relevant and applicable to the rising significance of the Indian Ocean. The IORA as an organisation has come a long way. It has proven its capability and capacity to bring together a diverse cluster of countries under one platform to discuss all matters pertaining to the Indian Ocean and sustainable use of the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka, as an active member of this organization is eagerly looking forward for further interaction with all the member countries and contribute efficaciously to the enhancement and success of this Organisation’.
Today, the world is undergoing an unparalleled level of economic shocks and gyrations. Rising cost of living and energy costs as well as debt crisis among the countries have relegated countries such as Sri Lanka to unprecedented economic risks and challenges. In this light, as a solution for the current global economic crisis, IORA could redefine its work agenda to suit economic cooperation among the countries. While making the Indian Ocean central to economic cooperation, IORA could develop a framework to accelerate its activities on economic cooperation among the countries. We, fervently, look forward to work with coordinating countries on trade and economic cooperation to enhance our common agenda in this realm.
In conclusion, let me once again reiterate that IORA brings together socially, culturally, geographically, economically and politically diverse groups of countries under one platform. This unique and critically salient platform could transform and translate the future of the Indian Ocean, if we pool and synergise all our ideas and visions together to work effectively for the betterment and advancement of our countries. I am confident and optimistic that under the able leadership and direction of Bangladesh as the Chair and the highly committed and competent team at the Secretariat, under the Secretary General, these endeavours and aspirations could be realised and attained, thus mutually benefitting the people of all 23-member countries numbering over 2.7 billion populace.
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