India News | Indian, EU Press for Free, Open and Rules-based Maritime Order in Indo-Pacific

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) India and the European Union on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open and rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific underpinned by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The two sides discussed developments in the Indo-Pacific region during their second maritime security dialogue in a virtual format.

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"India and the EU are committed to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region, underpinned by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, democracy, rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce, and peaceful resolution of disputes," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

It said the disputes should be resolved in accordance with international law, notably the UN Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

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The European Union also issued an identical statement.

The comments came in the backdrop of growing global concerns over China's increasing muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific region.

The MEA said the consultations included developments in the maritime security environment, policy developments covering the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and India's Indo-Pacific Oceans' Initiative.

It said regional initiatives to address international maritime security issues were also figured in the talks.

The meeting was co-chaired by Sandeep Arya, Joint Secretary for Disarmament and International Security Affairs at the MEA and Joanneke Balfoort, Director for Security and Defence Policy at the European External Action Service.

"India and the EU discussed cooperation, including in the field of maritime domain awareness, capacity-building and joint naval activities, following their successful joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Aden in June 2021," the MEA said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)