Pakistan a responsible Maritime nation: Sandila

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Asif Sandila inaugurated the 5th International Maritime Conference at Bahria University Karachi Campus on Tuesday.

The National Centre for Maritime Policy Research is hosting the 3-day moot being held simultaneously with the 4th Biennial International Maritime Exercise “Aman 2013”.

The event focuses on the regional security with respect to Indian Ocean and is aptly titled as “Regional Maritime Security Dynamics’ Imperatives and Interdependencies”. National Centre for Maritime Policy Research, Pakistan is organising the 5th International Maritime Conference (IMC 2013), which is being held at NCMPR Bahria University, Karachi from March 5 to 7. The conference is being organised in tandem with the prestigious 4th Biennial International Maritime Exercise “AMAN 2013”. The highlight of the event will be representation of over a dozen navies and the presence of eminent speakers and delegates from across the globe.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief of the Naval Staff highlighted the importance of oceans in terms of trade and commerce and stressed the need for greater cooperation to counter the menace of piracy and other maritime related issues. He expressed his concerns and desire to forge robust cooperation and partnership for maritime security.

All aspects related to regional maritime covered with seven speakers taking the floor. Among the prominent speakers, Dr James A BoutiIier, Special Advisor (Policy) Maritime Forces Pacific Headquarters, Canada, expressed his views about the Reflections on the New lndo-Pacific Maritime Order Which analyzed the current state of affairs at sea in the Indo – Pacific region.

Dr Stanley Byron Weeks, a renowned scientist, opined that the United States and regional nations can act cooperatively to deter the nontraditional threats to the Sea Lanes of communications. Other well known speakers included Dr Xia Liping, Dr Amin Tarzi, Rear Admiral Yuan Yubai, Commodore Lee Cordner and Rear Admiral Abdul Aleem.

Delegates and Naval officers, from Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Bahrain, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, North Sudan, Oman, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK and USA are participating in the conference.