The International Maritime Security Conference, “Galle Dialogue 2011”, organized by the Sri Lanka Navy under the aegis of Ministry of Defence, got underway in the port city of Galle today (14 th November 2011).
Ten (10) papers are scheduled to be presented to an audience of 38 foreign delegates from 18 countries and 130 local delegates at the two-day dialogue held under the theme, “Challenges and Strategic Cooperation for Indian Ocean Maritime Concerns”.
Secretary of Defence Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa delivered the keynote address and Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake made the welcome address.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Prof. G.L. Peiris , Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya and Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force Air Marshal Harsha Abeywickrema also graced the inaugural session.
Secretary of Defence in his keynote address stated that the stability and maritime security of the Indian Ocean is important in the global context because of enormous reserves of oil, natural gas, minerals and a wealth of biological resources it possesses. In this context, he said, the lack of a coordinated international effort to uphold maritime security not only affects ocean-going vessels, but also the national security of coastal nations. Hence, the cooperation of maritime powers in sharing intelligence and enhancing maritime domain awareness and interoperability is vital, he emphasised. Providing assistance to improve the resources and capabilities of less advanced naval powers, he added, will enhance overall maritime security. He expressed his confidence that the Galle Dialogue will serve its purpose in facilitating and enhancing much needed Strategic Cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.
Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy in his address, warmly welcomed all the distinguished delegates who made their valuable presence recognizing the importance of the Galle Dialogue initiative, which Sri Lanka offered as a nation, to the world after defeating three decades of brutal terrorism. The lessons we learnt in a hard way, the strategies and policies we adopted in defeating the asymmetric maritime threat we faced, and the changing global environment, he went on to state, contributed to this effort.
The Commander further stated that our quest is to keep this maritime conference an annual event with gradual expansion of participation to all regional and extra-regional countries. Therefore, he earnestly requested the foreign friends, who were present, to map the Galle Dialogue in their respective annual ‘charts’ to make a stop-over every year in order to trade knowledge, ideas and experience towards enhancing cooperation and achieving our common aim.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , November 15, 2011; Image: navy