IOR-ARC, IOC declare plans
to follow up 2012 Vow
The 28th Session of the Indian Ocean
Commission (IOC) Council of Ministers meeting took place in the
Seychelles on Thursday.
Interestingly, president of the IOC Council of Ministers,
minister of Foreign Affairs of the Seychelles, Jean Paul Adam,
invited the chair of the IOR-ARC Council of Ministers and Indian
minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid, its vice chair
Richard Marles and the secretary general K V Bhagirath to attend
the IOC session.
This participation by senior Indian Ocean Rim Association for
Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) officials saw Adam announcing the
agreed reciprocal Observer Status between the two
organisations.
The decision to pursue reciprocal observer status between the
two organisations was taken at the 12th Meeting of the
IOR-ARC Council of Ministers, in India in November 2012.
The IOR-ARC and IOC are sister organisations working towards the
development of the region.
Focus areas for the two bodies include sustainable development,
enhancement of economic and trade relations, social, cultural and
tourism promotion.
The IOC is a consortium of five nations: Comoros, Madagascar,
Mauritius, France (for Réunion), and the Seychelles.
The 20 members of the IOR-ARC are Australia, Bangladesh,
Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Madagascar,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, the Seychelles, Singapore, South
Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the UAE and Yemen.
www.theindependent.mu, Port Louis, Friday, January 18,
2013