Member Nations Participating in IONS

Member Nations Participating in IONS

The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) is an initiative launched by India in February 2008 that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the IOR. Over the years, member nations have conducted seminars, bilateral meetings, multilateral exercises, etc to strengthen maritime security in the region. While operations such as Search and Rescue and HADR would invariably require multi-lateral cooperation and interdependence amongst member nations, the growing importance of the Indian Ocean has been an enabler that provides the right fillip to the initiative. The countries in the IOR sit astride the most vital Sea Lines of Communication for international trade and regional prosperity. It is well-accepted that global trade can only flourish in an environment that is free from threats of maritime terrorism, piracy, human trafficking, etc and IONS seeks to provide a  cooperative architecture to strengthen security mechanisms, enhance inter-operability and enable speedier response to emerging contingencies. In the last ten years, the organisation has grown significantly and today boasts of a membership of 32 nations. The member nations are grouped in four clusters - South Asian Littorals, West Asian Littorals, East African Littorals and South East Asian and Australian Littorals. All these nations will unite to commemorate the 10th anniversary of IONS being planned on 13-14 November 2018 and hosted by the Indian Navy at its Southern Naval Command Headquarters at Kochi.