“I
am honoured to be amidst you today. Over the years, the Shangri-La Dialogue has
grown into an important forum which enables wide ranging discussion on security
issues relevant to the regional and global community. This event brings
together a wide spectrum of participants who play important roles in the
defence and security developments. It provides us an opportunity to reflect on
the major security challenges of our time and contributes significantly to the
strengthening of processes to address these important issues.
I
must thank the International Institute for Strategic Studies for inviting me to
share my thoughts on the issue of Maritime Freedoms, which has attained a high
and urgent resonance in the current global security paradigm.
I
begin with a reflection on the genesis of the maritime freedoms debate which
has become so salient in our security discourse today. The interplay between the concepts of the
Closed Seas and the Open Seas was linked to the changing needs of the powers which
sought to control maritime trade. The revival of the concept of ‘Open Seas’ gained relevance when the needs
of the Industrial Revolution in the West had to be fuelled by supplies from
Asia and Africa.
Unlike
in the previous centuries, maritime freedoms cannot be the exclusive
prerogative of a few. Large parts of the common seas cannot be declared
exclusive to any one country or group. We must find the balance between the
rights of nations and the freedoms of the world community in the maritime domain.
Like individual freedoms, the fullness of maritime freedoms can be realized
only when all states, big and small, are willing to abide by universally agreed
laws and principles.
It
has been widely recognised that maritime security is an indispensable and
fundamental condition for the welfare and economic security of this region and
the global community. There may be different perspectives of maritime freedoms
in history, but for us in the 21st century, it is important to
reaffirm the importance of maritime security and freedom of navigation for all,
in accordance with relevant universally agreed principles of international law,
including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This is the
essence of maritime freedoms in the age of interdependence and
globalization. These freedoms are needed
by all and their observance is in the interests of all, given the multifarious
threats to maritime freedoms.
Today,
the threats and challenges to maritime security and maritime freedoms arise
from piracy, terrorism and organized crime and also, from the conflicting
interests of countries – these may arise from the quest for political influence
or military dominance, maritime territorial disputes, competitive exploitation
of marine resources or environmental challenges.
India’s
own security and prosperity is intimately tied to the security and prosperity
of the extended Indian Ocean Region, which also includes the Asia Pacific
region. A significant percentage of our global mercantile trade – almost 90% by
volume and 77% by value – is carried by sea. India has a coastline of over 7500
kilometres; the chain of the Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands to the West and
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on the East, cover more than 600 islands, the
northern most tip being just 10 nautical miles from Myanmar and the
southernmost tip 90 nautical miles from Indonesia. Our EEZ is more than 2.5
million square kilometres and the mining areas allotted to us under UNCLOS are
about 2000 km from our southern most tip. As in other parts of the world, the
seas around us are now believed to have substantial hydrocarbon potential. As
we seek to satisfy the growing demand for mineral resources to meet our growth
and development aspirations, we will seek to increase our investments in the exploration
of our maritime domain.
Given
India’s geographical location, extensive maritime interests, dependence on the
seas for trade and the evolving asymmetric threats in the form of maritime
terrorism, piracy and drug trafficking, maritime security issues have become a
strategic priority for us. There are two different aspects to this
imperative. The first is the concern for
safeguarding of our territories and our adjacent waters against seaborne
threats. The second is the desire to ensure that the traditional freedoms at
sea are preserved to ensure access for all.
As
a matter of national policy, India has always championed and advocated
adherence to the international regime which governs maritime freedoms, even
while asserting our national sovereignty where it is applicable. We believe
that in an era of globalisation and interdependence, the balance between the
rights of States and the freedoms of the larger global community, to which I
referred earlier, is vital for international trade and global security.
In
the light of the challenges we face and the security and economic interests at
stake, it is natural for all countries to enhance their capabilities to protect
their national interests. In our own case, particularly in the aftermath of the
Mumbai attack, we have taken a number of measures to develop our coastal and
maritime security capabilities.
However,
as countries seek to bolster their capabilities to respond to perceived challenges in the maritime domain,
there also arises a need to avoid conflict and build consensus. In this
connection, keeping in view the issues which have arisen with regard to the
South China Sea, India has welcomed the efforts of the parties concerned in
engaging in discussions and the recently agreed guidelines on the implementation
of the 2002 Declaration of the Conduct of Parties between China and the ASEAN.
We hope that the issues will be resolved through dialogue and negotiation.
The
growing menace of piracy needs to be thwarted and suppressed by robust
anti-piracy operations, as well as through speedy prosecution of the guilty. A
permanent solution to the threat of piracy will require sustained and concerted
efforts by the international community, at sea and on land.
I
am encouraged by the cooperative approaches we have seen between nations when
it comes to defending our collective freedoms against the activities of
pirates, whether in the Malacca Strait or in the Gulf of Aden. We have ensured
that our navies have engaged in communication and dialogue to better coordinate
anti-piracy operations. The Indian Navy which has been operating in the Gulf of
Aden, has provided escort to a number of ships of non-Indian flags. The same is
true of some other Navies operating in the region.
There
is a need to extend this spirit of cooperation to de-conflict contentious areas
in the maritime domain. This is possible
only through the process of dialogue and consensus building, within the
framework of accepted principles of international law. In particular, it is
essential to remain sensitive to the problems of smaller nations and ensure
that their rights, as equal members of the global community, are not overlooked
or compromised.
India
is actively engaged in the process of constructive dialogue on security issues
with a number of countries, especially with the ASEAN community, many members
of which are our immediate maritime neighbours. We have wide ranging bilateral
exchanges with the ASEAN nations in the area of defence and security. We also
support ongoing initiatives like the ARF and the ADMM Plus mechanisms in
building an inclusive security architecture which would foster a spirit of
consensus on all issues which have common resonance. The Suez and the Gulf of
Hormuz are also vital arteries of world trade. We also maintain a regular
dialogue with the countries of the region.
We will continue to contribute to the strengthening of fora like the
IOR-ARC and the IONS to promote cooperation among the IOR and rim countries.
To
conclude, I will reiterate that India has vital interests in the maritime
domain and we will make our contribution, as a responsible member of the
international community, for the evolution of an open, transparent and
inclusive maritime security architecture that would ensure the protection and
preservation of maritime freedoms”.
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