Pretoria - South Africa is willing to assume the position of vice chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), says the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
“Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim announced South Africa’s willingness to assume the position of vice chair of IORA in 2015, leading to its chairship in 2017-2019.
“South Africa looks forward to exchange views on a common strategy for the IORA for the forthcoming years between fellow member states, as well as with the IORA Troika-Australia, Indonesia and India,” said DIRCO.
Ebrahim made the announcement at the 13th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the IORA held in Perth, Australia, on Friday.
In a statement on Saturday, DIRCO said that Ebrahim attended the meeting within the context of strengthening cooperation with the member states of the IORA, in the interest of increasing South Africa’s trade relations with those countries.
An important milestone of the meeting was the adoption of the IORA as the new name for the organisation, known formerly as the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC).
As a founding member, South Africa welcomes these important developments as a step that signifies the renewed determination to strengthen the association.
The 13th meeting saw member states reaffirming their shared interest in the stability, security and prosperity of all countries of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. They committed to enhance cooperation to deliver sustained economic growth and balanced development.
As the leading body for the promotion of regional collaboration across the Indian Ocean rim, IORA will take forward its role in addressing the development, security, resource and environmental challenges.
It will broaden and deepen efforts to bolster maritime security and safety, particularly continued threats to maritime commerce, and freedom of the high seas in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. According to the Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies (2003), the IOR area has 40% of the world’s oil and gas reserves.
An estimated 80% of the world’s seaborne oil trade transits through the Indian Ocean, largely from the west (the Persian Gulf) to the east (China, India, and Japan). The significance of this trade route presents several opportunities for a coastal state such as South Africa, particularly from a trade facilitation standpoint. - SAnews.gov.za
