South Africa is currently chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). The country believes the Indian Ocean region should be a region of peace, stability and development to facilitate the promotion of socio-economic cooperation for prosperity and development in the Indian Ocean Rim.

Its theme for the 2017-2019 tenure is “IORA: Uniting the peoples of Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Middle East through enhanced cooperation for peace, stability and sustainable development.”

Landers will emphasize the contributions of late President Nelson Mandela, the national hero of South Africa and the founder of IORA, to the region.

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DIRCO Deputy Minister Luwellyn Landers

Some 250 delegates from 43 countries are expected to attend the conference. They include the host’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Singapore’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.

Themed “Building Regional Architectures,” the conference aims to promote strategic cooperation and trade ties between countries; consolidate security frameworks and administration processes; and contribute to maintaining peace, stability, development, and connectivity in the region.

It also offers an opportunity for participating countries to learn more about the significance of the Indian Ocean on the world’s map.

Topics to be discussed include security, economy, and trade across the Indian Ocean and neighboring areas in the Indo-Pacific region; evolving regional architectures; cooperation between concerned countries in trust building; respect for international standards and laws; peaceful settlement of disputes; oceanic administration; and the settlement of non-traditional security challenges at sea.

Source: VNA