National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Friday said that seas are going to become the most important areas of countries' mutual cooperation and in tackling possible threats. He also stressed that "India is not part of any alliance and its corporation is not directed against any country."
"Seas are going to be the most important area of nations' mutual cooperation, economic development and tackling possible threats. We are all important stakeholders in the Indian Ocean Region and Pacific as these two areas are both contentious and also offer great opportunities," the NSA said while addressing Goa Maritime Conclave.
"I would like to underline that we are not a part of any alliance and our corporation is not directed against any country. Our corporation is solely intended and focussed on bringing the change that will only add to the prosperity of each country and the region," he added.
Doval also stated that there is a dire need for all India's neibhouring countries to come together and take requisite measures to minimize possibilities of threats in the seas.
"There are many things that need to be done. Probably none of us are in a position to do it alone but together we can do and contribute ... that brings out the element of complementarity. We do not have any areas of strategic conflict or we do not consider each other as rivals...we consider that anything that which is good for one country will contribute to the wellness of the rest," he said.
"Friends in the times to come sea, space and cyber are going to be the three important areas which are going to represent serious threats. The challenge before us is how do we maximize the opportunities and minimize the possibilities of threats. And this is the spirit that brings us all together. The major thing is how do we identify, work upon, consolidate and take ahead the agenda for seizing those opportunities to our greatest benefit," Doval added.
"We all are aspirational states. We are the states who are interested in seeing peace in the region. The states are interested in seeing the development and growth in the respective countries. We know that we need connectivity, we need rule of laws and we need engagement on predictable terms. We should be able to work together and contribute to each other's prosperity," he further stated.
In his concluding remark, the National Security advisor mentioned India's Look East Policy and stated that it aims to strengthen economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia.
"We are aware that free links of shipping and free links of seas are an extremely important area for the development of the hinterland and connectivity to the hinterland which catalyzes economic progress. India look East Policy is built upon these things and we would like to bring south Asia and south-east Asia together so that it can be partners in prosperity," he said.
The Indian Navy will host 'Goa Maritime Conclave - 2019' from October 3 to 5 here, in its bid to foster friendly relations with maritime neighbors.
The focus of the conclave is on capacity building among Indian Ocean Region (IOR) navies to tackle emerging maritime threats, as well as discussing cooperative strategies for enhancing interoperability among partner maritime agencies.
Naval War College, Goa, is hosting the event which is a follow-on to the maiden Goa Maritime Conclave held in 2017. The theme for the conclave is "Common Maritime Priorities in Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and need for Regional Maritime Strategy".
( With inputs from ANI )