Indian capital New Delhi earlier in March hosted the fourth maritime security dialogue between the sub-continental powerhouse and the European Union (EU).
On the agenda were, among others, developments in the maritime security situation in both Europe and the Indian Ocean. Avenues of co-operation in areas such as countering illicit maritime activities, protection of critical maritime infrastructure, capacity building for partners, maritime domain awareness and, what an EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy statement said were, “activities within regional maritime security forums”.
The dialogue took place ahead of the announcement of a multinational naval exercise in mid-April. The six-day exercise, billed the maiden Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) will be co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Force (TPDF) and will be held off Dar-es-Salaam. Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa are set down to take part along with the co-hosts.
The New Delhi dialogue built on a recent visit of the College of Commissioners to India, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen expressed satisfaction with the growing cooperation in the defence and security domain, including joint exercises and collaboration between Indian Navy and EU Maritime security entities.
A commitment to international peace and security was emphasised, including maritime security by tackling traditional and non-traditional threats to safeguard trade and sea lanes of communication. Enhancing engagement on maritime domain awareness with a view to promote shared assessment, co-ordination and interoperability was one a key deliverable of the visit.
The dialogue was co-chaired by Maciej Stadejek, Director for Security and Defence Policy at the European External Action Service (EEAS), and Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary for Disarmament and International Security Affairs at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Naval co-operation between the EU and India has expanded in recent years with successful joint exercises in the Gulf of Guinea and Gulf of Aden, according to an EU statement.
