Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, arrived at the Perth International Airport February 8 to attend the 7th Indian Ocean Conference in Perth, Australia. At the invitation of the India Foundation and the Australian Government, President Ranil Wickremesinghe is currently engaged in an official visit to Australia, to attend the Seventh Indian Ocean Conference taking place from February 9th to 10th in Perth, Australia.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe is slated to deliver the keynote address at the conference Today (09), focusing on the theme “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean”.
The Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) is an annual event which debuted in Singapore in the year 2016 with over 300 delegates from 22 countries including ministers, political leaders, diplomats, strategic thinkers, academics, and media. In over seven years the Conference has emerged as the flagship consultative forum for countries in the region.
The Conference endeavours to bring critical states and principal maritime partners of the region together on a common platform to deliberate upon the prospects of regional cooperation for Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). Previously, the Conference has taken place in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Maldives, UAE and Bangladesh. The 6th Indian Ocean Conference 2023 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was addressed by a President, a Vice President, a Prime Minister, 13 Ministers, 2 Foreign Secretaries and Heads of 3 Multilateral Organisations, and attended by over 300 social and corporate leaders, policy practitioners, scholars, professionals and media personnel from over 40 countries.
The 7th edition of the Conference is being organised by India Foundation in association with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore and Perth USAsia Centre on February 9 -10, 2024, in Perth, Australia. With the theme “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean”, the Conference will bring together key stakeholders to chart the roadmap for strengthening regional cooperation.
Furthermore, Premier Roger Cook of Western Australia met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe today (09) as part of the President’s official itinerary in Perth for the Indian Ocean Conference.
Accompanying the President were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Ali Sabry, Senior Adviser to the President on National Security and Chief-of-Staff, Sagala Ratnayaka, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia, Chitranganee Wagiswara, Members of Parliament Chinthaka Mayadunna, Ishak Rahuman, Director of International Affairs Dinouk Colombage and Rishan de Silva.
