Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Maritime Exercise 2022

Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Maritime Exercise 2022

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

IMEX-22
• 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.

About IONS:
• IONS is a premier forum for cooperation and collaboration among navies of littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.
• 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, Eritrea, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan and Tanzania
• South East Asian and Australian Littorals - Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and TimorLeste.
• The forum has promoted discussions on regional maritime issues, friendly relations and has significantly improved maritime security in the Indian ocean region.

Other crucial groupings associated with IOR:
• Colombo Security Conclave
• Indian Ocean Rim Association
• Indian Ocean Commission
• Security and Growth for All in the region (SAGAR)
• Asia-Africa Growth Corridor